Crown attorney

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Crown Attorneys or Crown Counsel are the public prosecutors in the legal system of Canada.

Crown Attorneys represent the Crown and act as prosecutor in proceedings under the Canadian Criminal Code and other federal offences, such as the Narcotics Act. There are similarities between this role and the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland, Crown Prosecutor in England and Wales and District Attorneys in the United States. Crown Attorneys are not elected; they are civil servants and can be removed from their position only pursuant to their employment agreement with the province.

Although criminal law is under federal jurisdiction in Canada, the administration of justice is constitutionally the responsibility of provinces, except in the Canadian territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. As a result, the vast majority of Crown Attorneys are employed by Canada's ten provinces.

Lawyers who act on civil or administrative matters for the Crown are not referred to as Crown Attorneys (Senior General Counsel or General Counsel), although both criminal and civil attorneys generally report to the provincial Attorney-General's office. Moreover, lawyers, students-at-law and other persons who only represent the Crown on provincial offences matters (such as municipal by-law enforcement and traffic offences) are referred to as "Provincial Prosecutors" rather than Crown Attorneys. Regardless of whether the prosecuted matter is a criminal offence or a provincial offence, Crown Attorneys represent and argue on behalf of "the Crown" (i.e. Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada).

As Crown Attorneys do not answer to the electorate, the Canadian prosecutorial system is often seen as less political and less aggressive than the American system as Crown Attorneys do not have to justify their continued employment by appearing to be harsh on criminals. Moreover, because they are paid a regular salary rather than being hired on a case-by-case basis, they are often seen as independent from the police. However, at the same time critics have argued that because they are appointed, Canada's prosecutors are not hard enough on criminals, and thus are a leading cause behind a Canadian culture of "soft" sentences that many disagree with. There have thus been calls for a more open appointment process to increase public accountability.