Editing Preliminary hearing (section)

==Canada==
In [[Canada]], a preliminary hearing is sometimes referred to as a preliminary inquiry. During the preliminary inquiry, a hearing is held by the court to determine if there is enough evidence to justify a trial. Preliminary inquiries are only held when a person is charged with an [[indictable offence]] where the accused in liable to a period of imprisonment greater than 14 years. The [[Crown Attorney]] may call witnesses. If there is not enough evidence, the court will dismiss the charge(s).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/victims-victimes/court-tribunaux/trial-proces.html|title=Trial|website=Department of Justice|access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[R v Jordan (2016)|2016 Jordan decision]], in which the [[Supreme Court of Canada]] imposed time limits on the Crown to bring criminal cases to trial, the Crown has started to use the [[Indictment#Canada|direct indictment]] procedure more frequently.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alyshah |last=Hasham |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2016/10/16/courts-scramble-under-new-rules-on-trial-delays.html |title=Courts scramble under new rules on trial delays|date=October 16, 2016 |publisher=[[Toronto Star]] }}</ref>