Crown attorney

Crown Attorneys or Crown Counsel (or, in Alberta, Crown Prosecutors) are the prosecutors in the legal system of Canada.

Crown Attorneys represent the Crown and act as prosecutor in proceedings under the Criminal Code and various other statutes. Criminal prosecutions pursuant to federal statutes other than the Criminal Code, such as the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Income Tax Act, and others, are generally (but not exclusively) conducted by federal counsel for the Crown. There are similarities between this role and the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland, Crown Prosecutor in England and Wales and United States Attorney or District Attorney in the United States. Crown Attorneys are not elected. They are civil servants and may be removed from their positions pursuant to their employment agreements.