this Supreme Court of Canada Partially supported a media appeal regarding an alleged secret trial involving a police informant in Quebec.
The Superior Court ruled Friday that the trial judge and the Quebec Court of Appeal acted correctly by keeping confidential information that could identify the informant, such as the nature of the crime, where it was committed and the name of the judge involved.
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However, the Supreme Court said some legal proceedings can remain within the court's docket and hearing responsibilities.
The original case involved an informant who was convicted for participating in a crime he reported to police.
The trial only became public because the informant appealed his conviction and the Court of Appeal issued a redacted version of its judgment in March 2022, quashing the conviction and sharply criticizing the secrecy of the trial.
The Supreme Court said there was no “secret trial” but ordered the Court of Appeal to provide a redacted version of the initial conviction to protect the identity of the whistleblower and better respect the principle of open court.
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