ARCHIVED - QR&O: Volume II - Chapter 104 Punishments and Sentences (Historical Version: 5 June 2008 to 13 June 2013)

Alternate Formats

Amendment List:

  • 5 June 2008 Amended Article: 104.13

History:

The Volume II Chapter 104: Punishments and Sentences replaces this content.

Section 1 – General

104.01 – APPLICATION

This chapter applies in respect of the punishments that may be imposed for service offences, together with the general conditions applicable to those punishments.

(G) (P.C. 1999-1305 of 8 July 1999 effective 1 September 1999)

NOTES

(A) Limitations upon the powers of punishment of commanding officers and superior commanders are set out in Chapter 108 (Summary Proceedings).

(B) Provisions relating to the execution of punishments are set out in Chapter 114 (General Provisions Respecting Imprisonment and Detention) and Chapter 116 (Review of Findings and Punishments).

(C) (1 September 1999)


Section 2 – Punishments

104.02 – SCALE OF PUNISHMENTS

Subsection 139(1) of the National Defence Act provides:

"139. (1) The following punishments may be imposed in respect of service offences and each of those punishments is a punishment less than every punishment preceding it:

  1. imprisonment for life;
  2. imprisonment for two years or more;
  3. dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service;
  4. imprisonment for less than two years;
  5. dismissal from Her Majesty's service;
  6. detention;
  7. reduction in rank;
  8. forfeiture of seniority;
  9. severe reprimand;
  10. reprimand;
  11. fine; and
  12. minor punishments."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTE

Except as otherwise provided in subsection 141(1.1) (Effective Date of Dismissal) and 204(3) (Special Case), and sections 215 to 218 (Suspension of Imprisonment or Detention) and 249.24 (Effect of New Punishment) of the National Defence Act, a punishment commences on the date upon which the service tribunal pronounces sentence upon the offender.

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.03 – MEANING OF "LESS PUNISHMENT"

Subsection 139(2) of the National Defence Act provides:

"139. (2) Where a punishment for an offence is specified by the Code of Service Discipline and it is further provided in the alternative that on conviction the offender is liable to less punishment, the expression "less punishment" means any one or more of the punishments lower in the scale of punishments than the specified punishment."

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.04 – IMPRISONMENT FOR SHORTER TERM

Section 140 of the National Defence Act provides:

"140. Every person who, on conviction of a service offence, is liable to imprisonment for life, other than as a minimum punishment, or for a term of years or other term may be sentenced to imprisonment for a shorter term."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTES

(A) Although specialized treatment and counselling programmes to deal with drug and alcohol dependencies and similar health problems will be made available to a person serving a term of imprisonment, a member serving a sentence that includes imprisonment will in most cases be considered unfit for further military service. As a result, service prisoners and service convicts will ordinarily not be subjected to the same regime of training that service detainees undergo. In certain cases, exceptions may be made for service prisoners serving a short term of imprisonment provided that it has either been decided to retain the member or no decision to release the member has been made but the circumstances suggest that retention in the Canadian Forces is likely. A punishment of imprisonment will be considered to be of short duration where the term does not exceed 90 days.

(B) Service prisoners and service convicts typically require an intensive programme of retraining and rehabilitation to equip them for their return to society following completion of the term of incarceration. Civilian prisons and penitentiaries are uniquely equipped to provide such opportunities to inmates. Therefore, to facilitate their reintegration into society, service prisoners and service convicts who are to be released from the Canadian Forces will typically be transferred to a civilian prison or penitentiary as soon as practical within the first 30 days following the date of sentencing. The member will ordinarily be released from the Canadian Forces before such a transfer is effected.

(C) (23 April 2001)

104.05 – OPTIONAL PUNISHMENTS ACCOMPANYING IMPRISONMENT

Sections 140.1 and 140.2 of the National Defence Act provide:

"140.1 (1) Where a court martial imposes a punishment of imprisonment for life or for two years or more on an officer or a non-commissioned member, the court martial may in addition, notwithstanding any other provision of this Division, impose a punishment of dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service or a punishment of dismissal from Her Majesty's service.

(2) Where a court martial imposes a punishment of imprisonment for less than two years on an officer or a non-commissioned member, the court martial may in addition, notwithstanding any other provision of this Division, impose a punishment of dismissal from Her Majesty's service.

140.2 Where a court martial imposes a punishment of imprisonment on an officer or a non-commissioned member, the court martial may in addition, notwithstanding any other provision of this Division, impose a punishment of reduction in rank, that may be

  1. in the case of an officer, to the lowest commissioned rank; and
  2. in the case of a non-commissioned member, to the lowest rank to which under the regulations the non-commissioned member can be reduced."

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.06 – IMPRISONMENT FOR LIFE

Section 140.3 of the National Defence Act provides:

"140.3 (1) Where a court martial imposes a punishment of imprisonment for life, the sentence to be pronounced shall be

  1. in respect of a person who has been convicted of having committed traitorously an offence of misconduct in the presence of an enemy contrary to section 73 or 74, an offence related to security contrary to section 75 or an offence in relation to prisoners of war contrary to section 76, that the person be sentenced to imprisonment for life without eligibility for parole until the person has served twenty-five years of the sentence;
  2. in respect of a person who has been convicted of an offence of high treason or an offence of first degree murder, that the person be sentenced to imprisonment for life without eligibility for parole until the person has served twenty-five years of the sentence;
  3. in respect of a person who has been convicted of an offence of second degree murder if that person has previously been convicted of culpable homicide that is murder, that the person be sentenced to imprisonment for life without eligibility for parole until the person has served twenty-five years of the sentence;
  4. in respect of a person who has been convicted of an offence of second degree murder, that the person be sentenced to imprisonment for life without eligibility for parole until the person has served at least ten years of the sentence or any greater number of years, not being more than twenty-five, that has been substituted under subsection (2); and
  5. in respect of a person who has been convicted of any other offence, that the person be sentenced to imprisonment for life with normal eligibility for parole.

(2) Sections 745.1 to 746.1 of the Criminal Code apply, with any modifications that the circumstances require, to a sentence of life imprisonment imposed under this Act, and

  1. a reference in sections 745.2 and 745.3 of the Criminal Code to a jury is deemed to be a reference to the panel of a General Court Martial; and
  2. a reference in section 745.6 of the Criminal Code to the province in which a conviction took place is deemed, in respect of a conviction that took place outside Canada, to be a reference to the province in which the offender is incarcerated when the offender makes an application under that section."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTE

Section 140.3 of the National Defence Act provides, where an accused is sentenced to life imprisonment, for the imposition of parole ineligibility by a court martial. This section incorporates the parole ineligibility provisions of the Criminal Code to ensure that there is no disparity of treatment between service prisoners and civil prisoners in regards to parole ineligibility, sentence recommendations, ability to apply for judicial review where convicted of murder or high treason having served 15 years, and eligibility for day parole.

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.07 – POWER OF COURT MARTIAL TO DELAY PAROLE

Section 140.4 of the National Defence Act provides:

"140.4 (1) Notwithstanding subsection 120(1) of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, where a person receives a sentence of imprisonment for life that is imposed otherwise than as a minimum punishment or a sentence of imprisonment for two years or more on conviction for an offence set out in Schedule I or II to that Act that is punishable under section 130 of this Act, a court martial may order that the portion of the sentence that must be served before the person may be released on full parole is one half of the sentence or ten years, whichever is less.

(2) The court martial may only make an order under subsection (1) if it is satisfied, having regard to the circumstances of the commission of the offence and the character and circumstances of the person, that the expression of society's denunciation of the offence or the objective of specific or general deterrence requires that the order be made.

(3) Notwithstanding subsection 120(1) of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, where a person receives a sentence of imprisonment for life that is imposed otherwise than as a minimum punishment or a sentence of imprisonment for two years or more on conviction under this Act for a criminal organization offence, the court martial may order that the portion of the sentence that must be served before the person may be released on full parole is one half of the sentence or ten years, whichever is less.

(4) For greater certainty, the paramount principles that are to guide the court martial under this section are denunciation and specific or general deterrence, with rehabilitation of the person, in all cases, being subordinate to those paramount principles."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTE

For the definitions of "criminal organization" and "criminal organization offences", see section 2 of the National Defence Act.

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.08 – DISMISSAL WITH DISGRACE

Section 141 of the National Defence Act provides:

"141. (1) Where a service tribunal imposes a punishment of dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service on an officer or non-commissioned member, the service tribunal may in addition, notwithstanding any other provision of this Part, impose a punishment of imprisonment for less than two years.

(1.1) A punishment of dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service or dismissal from Her Majesty's service is deemed to be carried out as of the date on which the release of an officer or a non-commissioned member from the Canadian Forces is effected.

(2) A person on whom a punishment of dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service has been carried out is not, except in an emergency or unless that punishment is subsequently set aside or altered, eligible to serve Her Majesty again in any military or civil capacity."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTE

The punishment of dismissal from Her Majesty's service does not carry with it the incapacities accompanying the punishment of dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service.

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.09 – DETENTION

Section 142 of the National Defence Act provides:

"142. (1) The punishment of detention is subject to the following conditions:

  1. detention may not exceed ninety days and a person sentenced to detention may not be subject to detention for more than ninety days consecutively by reason of more than one conviction; and
  2. no officer may be sentenced to detention.

(2) If a non-commissioned member above the rank of private is sentenced to detention, that person is deemed, for the period of the detention, to be reduced to the rank of private."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTES

(A) In keeping with its disciplinary nature, the punishment of detention seeks to rehabilitate service detainees, by re-instilling in them the habit of obedience in a structured, military setting, through a regime of training that emphasizes the institutional values and skills that distinguish the Canadian Forces member from other members of society. Specialized treatment and counselling programmes to deal with drug and alcohol dependencies and similar health problems will also be made available to those service detainees who require them. Once the sentence of detention has been served, the member will normally be returned to his or her unit without any lasting effect on his or her career.

(B) A term of punishment of detention should be expressed in days.

(C) (23 April 2001)

104.10 – REDUCTION IN RANK

(1) Section 143 of the National Defence Act provides:

"143. (1) The punishment of reduction in rank applies to officers above the rank of second lieutenant and to non-commissioned members above the rank of private.

(2) The punishment of reduction in rank does not

  1. involve reduction to a rank lower than that to which under regulations the offender can be reduced; and
  2. in the case of a commissioned officer, involve reduction to a rank lower than commissioned rank."

(2) The lowest rank to which a non-commissioned member above the rank of private may be reduced is the rank of private.

(3) In the case of a punishment of reduction to the rank of private, the offender shall hold the highest classification in that rank.

(4) Where a punishment of reduction in rank is imposed, the service tribunal shall specify the rank to which the offender is reduced.

(G) (P.C. 1999-1305 of 8 July 1999 effective 1 September 1999)

104.11 – FORFEITURE OF SENIORITY

Section 144 of the National Defence Act provides:

"144. Where a court martial imposes a punishment of forfeiture of seniority on an officer or non-commissioned member, the court martial shall in passing sentence specify the period for which seniority is to be forfeited."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTES

(A) An offender cannot, by a punishment of forfeiture of seniority, be deprived of more seniority than that held in rank at the time of the imposition of the punishment.

(B) Where a punishment of forfeiture of seniority is imposed, the period of forfeiture must be expressed in terms of years, months and days, as applicable.

(C) The punishment must not include any reference to the place to which the offender is relegated in a seniority list.

(D) The current seniority list should be consulted to determine the effect of any proposed punishment of forfeiture of seniority. In some cases, the punishment of loss of even one day's seniority may be quite severe.

(E) If the effect of a punishment of forfeiture of seniority would be to place an offender among others whose seniority dates from the same day, the relative seniority as between the offender and those other persons is determined under article 3.11 (Seniority from Same Date).

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.12 – FINE

Section 145 of the National Defence Act provides:

"145. (1) A fine must be imposed in a stated amount.

(2) The terms of payment of a fine are in the discretion of the service tribunal that imposes the fine.

(3) The terms of payment of a fine may be varied, in the case of a summary trial, by the officer who conducted the trial, and in the case of a court martial, by the military judge who imposed the fine or a military judge designated by the Chief Military Judge."

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.13 – MINOR PUNISHMENTS

(1) Section 146 of the National Defence Act provides:

"146. Minor punishments shall be such as are prescribed in regulations made by the Governor in Council."

(2) The following minor punishments may be imposed in respect of service offences:

  1. confinement to ship or barracks;
  2. extra work and drill;
  3. stoppage of leave; and
  4. caution.

(3) The commanding officer of a base, unit or element shall ensure that rules governing persons undergoing minor punishments are issued, that the rules are made known to those persons and that they are enforced.

(4) Only officers may supervise and administer minor punishments imposed on officer cadets. (5 June 2008).

(5) The minor punishments that a court martial may impose are subject to the conditions prescribed in the table to article 108.24 (Powers of Punishment of a Commanding Officer). (5 June 2008).

(G) (P.C. 2008-1015 of 5 June 2008 effective 5 June 2008

NOTES

(A) The rules respecting minor punishments are set out in Sections 7 and 9 of Chapter 108 (Summary Proceedings).

(B) The goal of minor punishments is to correct the conduct of service members who have committed service offence of a minor nature while allowing those members to remain productive members of the unit.

(C) The role of rules for the administration of minor punishments is vital. The rules are the vehicle through which commanding officers may

  1. tailor, to meet unit requirements, a programme of extra work and drill to improve the military efficiency and discipline of unit members convicted of minor service offences, and
  2. define the geographic limits within which a member undergoing the punishment of stoppage of leave or confinement to ship or barracks must remain and the routine applicable to members serving those punishments.

(D) Commanding officers must exercise care to ensure that the rules that they issue governing the administration of minor punishments are not inconsistent with the provisions respecting minor punishments as set out in article 108.35 (Extra Work and Drill), 108.36 (Stoppage of Leave) and 108.37 (Confinement to Ship or Barracks). For example, while it may be appropriate to require a member undergoing a punishment of stoppage of leave during a weekend to report to a specified authority, it would not be appropriate to require the member to report so often that the nature of the punishment was effectively changed to that of confinement to ship or barracks.

(C) (1 September 1999)


Section 3 – Suspension

104.14 – AUTHORITY TO SUSPEND

Section 215 of the National Defence Act provides:

"215. Where an offender has been sentenced to imprisonment or detention, the carrying into effect of the punishment may be suspended by the service tribunal that imposed the punishment."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTE

See Section 1 (Suspension of Imprisonment and Detention) of Chapter 114 (General Provisions Respecting Imprisonment And Detention) for provisions dealing with the suspension by "suspending authorities" of the carrying into effect of a punishment after a sentence has been imposed.

(C) (1 September 1999)


Section 4 – Sentences

104.15 – ONE SENTENCE ONLY MAY BE PASSED

Section 148 of the National Defence Act provides:

"148. Only one sentence shall be passed on an offender at a trial under the Code of Service Discipline and, where the offender is convicted of more than one offence, the sentence is good if any one of the offences would have justified it."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTES

(A) A service tribunal does not award a sentence for each offence committed but rather awards one sentence in respect of all findings of guilty made at a trial. This sentence may involve more than one type of punishment, e.g., reduction in rank and detention. Where the sentence is imposed by the service tribunal, it is expressed as the total of each type of punishment that it is intended that the accused person undergo. For example, where there are two findings of guilty made at trial, the sentence is not expressed as 10 days' detention on the first charge and five days' on the second charge but rather as 15 days' detention.

(B) Where a sentence awarded by a service tribunal involves more than one type of punishment, e.g., reduction in rank and a fine, the punishment that is the higher on the scale of punishments should be pronounced first by the service tribunal. However, no sentence is invalid by reason only that a punishment lower on the scale of punishments was pronounced before any punishment higher on the scale of punishments.

(C) (1 September 1999)

104.16 – INCARCERATION UNDER MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE

Section 149 of the National Defence Act provides:

"149. Where a person is under a sentence imposed by a service tribunal that includes a punishment involving incarceration and another service tribunal subsequently passes a new sentence that also includes a punishment involving incarceration, both punishments of incarceration shall, after the date of the pronouncement of the new sentence, run concurrently but the punishment higher in the scale of punishments shall be served first."

(C) (1 September 1999)

NOTE

Where a person is already under an unexpired sentence which has been suspended, any period of incarceration under another sentence will count also in respect of the sentence that has been suspended.

(C) (1 September 1999)

(104.17 TO 104.99 INCLUSIVE: NOT ALLOCATED)

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