Berger, Benjamin L.Sayed, Venus2022-12-142022-12-142022-09-192022-12-14http://hdl.handle.net/10315/40758This work examines the Supreme Court of Canada’s statutory safety valve proposal in the case of R. v. Lloyd as a solution to the problems presented by mandatory minimum sentences. The thesis develops a safety valve matrix which allows various valves to be plotted along broad-narrow and high-low discretion matrices. Following a review of the development of exemptions in Canadian jurisprudence, the paper then takes a comparative approach of analysis to look at three similarly placed jurisdictions – Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. By examining the statutory safety valves in use in these jurisdictions, this work concludes that a broad, high-discretion safety valve may be most effective in the Canadian context.Author owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.LawElectronic Thesis or Dissertation2022-12-14Criminal lawConstitutional lawMandatory minimum sentencesSentencingSafety valvesExemptionsCharter