The Criminal Code is federal legislation defining most crimes in Canada and establishing procedures for criminal prosecution. It covers offences ranging from murder and assault to theft, fraud, impaired driving, and many others, specifying elements of each offence and sentencing ranges. Criminal law is exclusively federal jurisdiction in Canada, meaning the Criminal Code applies uniformly across all provinces (though provinces administer criminal courts). The Code is periodically updated as Parliament addresses new issues or changes approaches to existing ones. Understanding that criminal law is federal helps explain why crimes are defined consistently across Canada, even though police forces, courts, and prisons may be provincially or municipally operated.