PROVINCES WANT OTTAWA TO EASE SEIZURE OF

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PROVINCES WANT OTTAWA TO EASE SEIZURE OF PROPERTY

Quebec -- The provinces are urging Ottawa to change the Criminal Code
to make it easier for governments to seize the properties of criminals.

The amendment would force criminals to prove to the courts that their
properties were not derived from the profits of criminal activities.

Quebec Justice Minister Jacques Dupuis has argued that the current law
requires prosecutors to undertake "a lengthy and painstaking process,"
and that "our proposal would reverse the burden of proof."