Legal Policies & Directives

The following is a list of policies and directives issued by the Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Director of Military Prosecutions (DMP) of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Law of Armed Conflict

• The Soldier’s Handbook of on the Law of Armed Conflict Applicable to Land Warfare

Military Justice at the Unit Level

• Military Justice at the Unit Level Policy
• Military Justice System Time Standards

JAG Policy Directives

• 008/00: General Instructions in respect of Prosecutions
• 009/00: General Instructions in respect of Defence Counsel Services
• 013/01: Delay in the Court Martial Process
• 017/02: Payment of Witness Expenses at Courts Martial

DMP Directives

Some of the Director of Military Prosecutions (DMP) policies are currently available in PDF format only. To obtain an alternate version of this document, please contact us.

• Direction regarding the implementation of the Statement of Principles and Presumptions for the Exercise of Concurrent Jurisdiction by Canadian Prosecuting Authorities, 29 February 2024;
• Interim Direction Regarding the Implementation of Madame Arbour Interim Recommendation
• 001/00: Relationship with Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS)
• 002/00: Pre-Charge Screening
  • DMP Policy Directive 002 - Annex A (PDF, 253KB)
  • DMP Policy Directive 002 - Annex B (PDF, 261 KB)
• 003/00: Post-Charge Review
  • DMP Policy Directive 003 - Annex A
  • DMP Policy Directive 003 - Annex B
• 004/00: Sexual Misconduct Offences
• 005/00: Communications with Service Authorities
• 006/00: Courts Martial Disclosure
• 007/00: Responding to Victims’ Needs
• 008/00: Plea, Trial and Sentence Resolution Discussions
• 009/00: Communications with Unit Legal Advisers
• 010/00: Accountability, Independence and Consultation
• 011/00: Withdrawal of Charges
• 012/00: Witness Interviews (PDF, 299 KB)
• 013/00: Immunity from Prosecution (PDF, 363 KB)
• 014/03: Media Relations (PDF, 217 KB)
• 015/04: Appeals (PDF, 231 KB)
• 016/17: Appointment of Special Prosecutors (PDF, 192 KB)
• 017/18: Court Martial Scheduling
• 018/18: Canadian Military Prosecution Service Complaints Policy