General Principles

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The defence of officially induced error of law is intended to protect a diligent person who first questions a government authority about the interpretation of legislation so as to be sure to comply with it and then is prosecuted by the same government for acting in accordance with the interpretation the authority gave him or her.

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In Bedard, the SCC expressed serious reservations about the very possibility of a government official raising the defence of officially induced error of law in relation to the performance of his or her duties: 2017 SCC 4