As a witness, could I testify in court but refuse to swear?

Yes. The Constitution gives you the right to “affirm,” which has the same effect of putting you under penalty of perjury, because among the Framers was William Penn, a founder of Pennsylvania, and a Quaker. read more

Under Canadian law, a witness can swear an oath on the religious book of their choice, swear an oath on a sacred eagle feather (respecting indigenous tradition), or make a solemn affirmation to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. read more

In Federal court in the US, a person can make a solemn affirmation instead of taking an oath. A person who will not either swear or affirm cannot testify. A person who is in court subject to a subpoena must testify and therefore may be locked up until that person changes his or her mind about refusing to testify, even if that takes years. read more

A witness is a person who saw a crime or was a victim of a crime. A witness can be subpoenaed (ordered to attend court) as set out in the Criminal Code of Canada or by a criminal proceeding in the NWT. Witnesses are called to court to answer questions about a case. The information a witness gives in court is called testimony and is used as evidence to set out the facts of the alleged crime. read more