In a criminal prosecution for importing a controlled substance, the court ruled on the voluntariness of pre-arrest statements made by the accused to border services officers at Pearson airport.
The defence challenged voluntariness on the basis that the accused was questioned without caution and that no audio or video recording captured the statements.
Applying the contemporary confessions rule and the threshold reliability requirement for the evidentiary record, the court held the Crown had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the statements were voluntary.
The court found no threats, inducements, oppression, operating-mind concerns, or trickery, and admitted the statements at trial.
