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Wrestling the Octopus: Canada's Bill C-24, America's RICO, and Future Directions for Canadian Organized Crime Legislation by Jordan M. Saucier, B.A.Hons. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Legal Studies Department of Law Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario May 2006 2006, Jordan M. Saucier Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Library and Bibliotheque et Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-16442-6 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-16442-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce,Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve,sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet,distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform,et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be includedBien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. i * i Canada Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract Throughout the 1990s, Canada, and particularly Quebec, bore witness to violent biker wars between various outlaw motorcycle gangs. Many were killed, including an innocent 11-year-old boy. The federal government responded to the perceived threat by enacting Bill C-95 in 1997. This legislation was found wanting and, as a result, the government responded with new legislation, Bill C-24, in 2001. The thesis examines the organized crime provisions in this bill, both in regard to their creation and their subsequent enforcement. I attempt to envisage the possible evolution of the fight against organized crime in Canada. Information and experience are lacking, however, and I turn to the United States, which has had organized crime legislation in place for thirty-five years, as a source and guide for the possible directions which Canadian organized crime legislation might take. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my Mother and Father for all their understanding and support during this process, and although my Father could not see the end result, I know he would be proud. I would also like to thank my friends and family, and the staff and students of Carleton University for all their help and advice. I would also like to thank my supervisor Prof. Ron Saunders for his patience, help and guidance, and Dr. Barry Leighton, for his assistance and for introducing me to the topic of organized crime. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction.............................. 1 Chapter 2: The Background to and Creation of Bill C-24 ...............................................6 Introduction............................................................................................................................6 A. Theoretical Understanding o f Organized Crime.............................................................6 A Brief Background o f Organized Crime in Canada....................................................... 11 Bill C-95: Canada’s First Major Attempt at Legislating Organized Crime................. 13 Bill C-24: Its Creation....................................................................................................... 26 Enter Bill C-24.................................................................................................................... 33 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................40 Chapter 3: The Use of Bill C-24 and its Subsequent Legislation .................................42 Introduction..........................................................................................................................42 Bill C-24 Comes Into Effect.......................... 42 Organized Crime Statistics.................................................................................................47 Data Relating to the Use o f Bill C-24........................... 54 Important Cases Involving Bill C-24........ 60 Conclusion....................... 72 Chapter 4: The American Experience with Combating Organized Crime................ 74 Introduction........................................ 74 The History o f Organized Crime in the United States................................................ 74 The Organized Crime Control Act................................................. ,.................... 81 Enter RICO.......................................................................................................................... 87 Conclusion...................................................... 91 Chapter 5: RICO and Bill C-24: What Can We Learn From the American Experience ..................................................................... 93 Introduction..................................................................... 93 RICO: Expansion.............................................. 94 RICO: Constitutional Challenges.......................................................... 103 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. What can RICO tell us about the possible future o f organized crime legislation in Canada?......................................................... I l l Conclusion.........................................................................................................................118 Chapter 6: Conclusion....................................................................................................... 120 Bibliography....................................... 130 Appendices............................................................................................................................137 Appendix A - Standing Committee Recommendations................................................... 137 Appendix B - Relevant Criminal Offences Created by Bill C-24.................................. 141 Appendix C - The Relevant Sections o f RICO.................................................................145 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 Chapter 1: Introduction Organized Crime. When one hears these words, many images might come to mind. Swarthy men in three-piece suits as seen in the “Godfather” films. Perhaps one imagines exotically tattooed Yakuza gang members. Organized crime is even frequently portrayed as a many-armed octopus, infiltrating and dipping its tentacles into all aspects of life.1 Here in Canada, organized crime may conjure up images of outlaw motorcycle gang members driving around in their leather jackets harassing the good citizens of this country. The Hells Angels, probably the most well known biker gang in existence, have been active in Canada since the 1970s, and other famous gangs such as the Rock Machine appeared in the 1980s. Throughout the 1990s, biker gangs in Quebec fought over territories, or “turf,” in which to conduct their illegal activities. These biker wars were very bloody and over 150 people were killed, including two prison guards and an eleven- year-old boy who had been playing near a biker hangout. The then existing legislation was deemed not sufficient enough to deal with the problem, and organized crime appeared to be something different, something unique, or at least it was portrayed as different and unique. Canada responded with strict new legislation aimed at combating organized crime. Organized crime is not viewed as just “crime” in the traditional sense of the word (murder, theft, etc.), but it is something with its own intricacies, its own prevention strategies, and its own literature. In many textbooks, organized crime has been largely 1 Claire Sterling. Octopus: The Long Reach of the International Sicilian Mafia. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991). Reproduced with permission of the copyright

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