This report briefly presents the state of the law of evidence and the reform proposal that precipitated the evidence project of the Uniform Law conference of Canada.

The report describes the Uniform Evidence Act and recommends that Parliament and the Legislatures enact uniform evidence legislation based on the Act. The Senate or a committee of the Senate should review the rules of evidence that the Uniform Evidence Act would apply to criminal proceedings and make changes necessary to strike a balance between the interests of the state and the individual. In adapting the Act for use in a province, changes which would substantially derogate from uniformity of legislation should be made only sparingly and with strong reason. As soon as is practicable, the federal government and the provincial governments, should by consultation, arrange for the introduction into Parliment and the Legislatures of legislation based upon the Act.