Innocence Canada (formerly the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted or AIDWYC) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1993 and incorporated in 2000.

Innocence Canada’s mandate is to identify, advocate for, and exonerate individuals who have been convicted of a crime they did not commit and to prevent wrongful convictions through legal education and reform.

In the years since its inception, Innocence Canada’s team of volunteers have reviewed hundreds of cases, leading to the successful exoneration of over 24 innocent people who together spent more than 200 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. Innocence Canada’s team of pro-bono lawyers are currently reviewing approximately 80 claims of innocence.

About The Innocence Canada Foundation

The Innocence Canada Foundation operates as the main fundraising organization for Innocence Canada and works to support the following charitable objects:

  • Providing legal services to low income persons in Canada for the purposes of establishing that a wrongful conviction has occurred and exonerating that wrongly convicted person
  • Raising public awareness of the criminal law and the judicial process
  • Providing financial assistance to low-income wrongly convicted clients for the necessities of life
  • Supporting educational initiatives that help to address the causes of wrongful convictions

The Innocence Canada foundation hosts fundraising events and solicits tax deductible donations from individuals, corporations, granting agencies and other foundations. 

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Governance

Innocence Canada and the Innocence Canada Foundation are each governed by a unique, volunteer Board of Directors. The case review process is overseen by the Case Review Committee.

By-Laws

Both the Innocence Canada and the Innocence Canada Foundation Boards are regulated by a set of By-Laws. Please click on the links below to view the by-laws.