Glossary
Designated foreign nationals are members of a group of people who:
- arrive in Canada together, and
- are called an “irregular arrival” by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
This can happen, for example, if the Minister suspects that they have been brought to Canada through human smuggling or trafficking with the help of a criminal organization or terrorist group.
Designated foreign nationals have fewer rights than other foreign nationals.
In Criminal Law
The Criminal Code identifies certain crimes as designated offences because of the seriousness and circumstances of these types of crimes. Designated offences are usually violent or serious drug related offences. If you’re convicted of a designated offence, you can be ordered to give a DNA sample for the National DNA Data Bank.
In Refugee Law
Refugee claimants get a designated representative to help them understand the refugee claim process and make decisions if they’re:
- under 18 years old, or
- not able to understand what the refugee hearing process is about, usually because of mental health issues.
In Criminal Law
The Criminal Code allows lawyers, paralegals, and articling students to appear “by designation” for routine court appearances if a designation of counsel has been filed with the court. If you have hired a lawyer, they may ask you to sign a designation of counsel so that they can appear in court without you, and without needing to ask the court for a discretionary bench warrant in your absence.
In Criminal Law
When the police detain you, this means that you’re not allowed to go. The law says that the police can detain you if they have reasonable grounds to suspect you’re connected to a criminal offence they’re investigating. When you’re detained, you do not have to answer any questions that the police ask you.
In Health and Disability, Mental health
If you’re detained, it means you’re not allowed to leave a place such as a psychiatric facility or jail. It means you have to stay there even if you do not want to. The law gives some people, such as the police or your doctor, the right to detain you in certain situations. For example, if you’re likely to seriously hurt yourself or someone else.
In Criminal Law
When the police detain you, this means that you’re not allowed to go. The law says that the police can detain you if they have reasonable grounds to suspect you’re connected to a criminal offence they’re investigating. When you’re detained, you do not have to answer any questions that the police ask you.
In Criminal Law
When the police detain you, this means that you’re not allowed to go. The law says that the police can detain you if they have reasonable grounds to suspect you’re connected to a criminal offence they’re investigating. When you’re detained, you do not have to answer any questions that the police ask you.
In Criminal Law
A detention order is a type of court order that can be made at a bail hearing. If the judge or justice of the peace makes a detention order, you will remain in custody until your case is finished, or you are released on a bail review.
Developmental services institutions were run by the Ontario government.
People who were labelled with intellectual disabilities lived in these institutions. The last one closed in 2009.