c t EVIDENCE ACT PLEASE NOTE This document, prepared by the Legislative Counsel Office, is an office consolidation of this Act, current to December 2, 2015. It is intended for information and reference purposes only. This document is not the official version of the Act. The Act and the amendments as printed under the authority of the Queen’s Printer for the province should be consulted to determine the authoritative statement of the law. For more information concerning the history of this Act, please see the Table of Public Acts on the Prince Edward Island Government web site (www.princeedwardisland.ca). If you find any errors or omissions in this consolidation, please contact: Legislative Counsel Office Tel: (902) 368-4292 Email: [email protected] Evidence Act Table of Contents c EVIDENCE ACT Table of Contents Section Page 1. Definitions................................................................................................................................................ 5 1.1 Spouse ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Competency of witnesses, persons with criminal record ......................................................................... 5 3. Persons with an interest in the matter....................................................................................................... 5 4. Parties to proceedings & spouses competent & compellable ................................................................... 6 5. Marital sexual intercourse evidence admissible ....................................................................................... 6 6. Incriminating evidence, witness not excused from .................................................................................. 6 7. Action for breach of promise of marriage ................................................................................................ 6 8. Adultery proceedings ............................................................................................................................... 6 9. Communication during marriage, disclosure ........................................................................................... 6 10. Proceedings under provincial statutes ...................................................................................................... 7 11. Action by or against heirs or personal representatives ............................................................................. 7 12. Action by or against person mentally incompetent .................................................................................. 7 13. Objection to taking oath, affirmation, or declaration ............................................................................... 7 14. Administer oaths, persons who may ........................................................................................................ 7 15. General evidence of bad character, not admissible, exception ................................................................. 7 16. Former statements inconsistent with testimony ....................................................................................... 8 17. Previous statements made in writing ........................................................................................................ 8 18. Conviction of crimes, evidence as to ....................................................................................................... 8 19. Attestation of instruments, proof of ......................................................................................................... 8 20. Handwriting, proof ................................................................................................................................... 8 21. Imperial Parliament defined ..................................................................................................................... 8 22. Definitions................................................................................................................................................ 9 23. Certificates of marriage, baptism or burial, prima facie proof ............................................................... 11 24. Certificate of death by Armed Forces of Canada ................................................................................... 11 25. Exemplification of wills ......................................................................................................................... 12 26. Register of British ships ......................................................................................................................... 12 27. Documents of public nature, copies or extracts provable....................................................................... 13 28. Vote, proceeding or resolution of Executive Council re land titles ....................................................... 13 29. Documents in official possession of Executive Council objection to produce ...................................... 13 30. Definitions.............................................................................................................................................. 13 31. Definitions.............................................................................................................................................. 14 32. Definitions.............................................................................................................................................. 15 33. Medical reports ...................................................................................................................................... 16 34. Certificate of Registrar of motor vehicles .............................................................................................. 16 35. Protests of bills of exchange and promissory notes ............................................................................... 16 36. Certificate of notary public, prima facie proof of facts .......................................................................... 17 37. Idem ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 38. Deeds or mortgages, proof of ................................................................................................................. 17 39. Notice of producing copy of deed or mortgage ...................................................................................... 17 40. Commissioner of Public Lands, deeds issued by ................................................................................... 17 c t Current to: December 2, 2015 Page 3 Table of Contents Evidence Act 41. Registration of plans, admissibility ........................................................................................................ 17 42. Certificate of registration endorsed on deeds ......................................................................................... 17 43. Registration may be proved in court ....................................................................................................... 18 44. Execution of deed or mortgage non-residents ........................................................................................ 18 45. Duty stamp, absence of ........................................................................................................................... 18 46. Delivery of goods, payment of money etc., proof of signatures ............................................................. 18 47. Production of books to negative transaction ........................................................................................... 18 48. Contract or engagement entered by corporation, proof .......................................................................... 19 49. Examination of party or witness, copies filed......................................................................................... 19 50. Examinations, admissibility without consent of opposite party ............................................................. 19 51. Annexing to commission, requirement for ............................................................................................. 19 52. Examination of absent or absconding debtor, proof of his writings ....................................................... 19 53. Depositions of witnesses, read in evidence, how.................................................................................... 20 54. Previous convictions, procedure in court, and proof: provincial offences .............................................. 20 55. Production of transcript .......................................................................................................................... 20 56. Admissibility of secondary evidence of former trial .............................................................................. 21 57. “legal proceeding”, defined .................................................................................................................... 21 Page 4 Current to: December 2, 2015 t c Evidence Act Section 1 c EVIDENCE ACT CHAPTER E-11 1. Definitions In this Act (a) “action” includes any civil proceeding, inquiry, arbitration and a prosecution for an offence committed against a statute of the province or against a bylaw or regulation made under the authority of a statute,