Section 11(b) of the Charter gives a person charged with an offence the right to be tried within a reasonable time. The usual remedy for a breach is a stay of proceedings.
Since 2016 the analysis begins with a ceiling: 18 months from charge to the end of trial in the provincial court, or 30 months in the superior court. Time attributable to the defence is subtracted. Above the ceiling, delay is presumptively unreasonable and the Crown must point to exceptional circumstances; below it, the defence must show the case took markedly longer than it should have.
The Court reset the framework for the right to be tried within a reasonable time under section 11(b), setting presumptive ceilings — 18 months for cases in provincial court and 30 months for cases in superior court — beyond which delay is presumptively unreasonable.