A book published by one of Canada's most notorious killers motivated provincial legislators to block criminals from profiting from illegal activities.
The B.C. Ministry of Public Safety introduced legislation on Thursday that would prevent murderers and others convicted of serious crimes from making profits off memoirs and memorabilia.
The Profits of Criminal Notoriety Act was inspired by a book written by convicted serial killer Robert Pickton and published by Outskirts Press earlier this year.
"The day I first learned of the Pickton book, I was determined no one would make a nickel from Robert Pickton's crimes," Min. Mike Morris said in a statement.
"The act will also help ensure no other notorious or violent criminals can profit from the hurt they have caused."
Months after the news broke, B.C.'s public safety minister introduced legislation that, if passed, would prevent criminals like Pickton from receiving the profits of recounting their crimes.
In addition to memoirs, the act would also block criminals' attempts to benefit from the sale of their stories in broadcast form, or from memorabilia related to their crimes.
Any money earned as a result would be paid to the province for redistribution to victims or their families. Surplus amounts would go to supporting victim services.
The act would apply to anyone convicted or serious or violent crimes, including murder, sexual offences, child exploitation, kidnapping, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
It would apply retrospectively to any contracts signed since January 2001.
"For constitutional reasons, the act cannot ban a criminal from telling his or her stories – only from receiving a financial gain as a result," a statement said.
The act would apply to any case where there is a B.C. connection, including if the crime occurred elsewhere but the criminal is a resident of B.C. or serving a sentence in the province.
Similar laws are already in place in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Pickton’s book was available for sale on Amazon in February, where it briefly hit number one on the Canadian bestseller list. It was retracted from the site and dropped by the publisher following appeals from the families of the victims, Canada's public safety minister and the B.C. premier.
