What is the difference between credibility and reliability of a witness?

British Columbia, Canada


The following excerpt is from Bridgewater Tile Ltd. v Copa Development Corporation, 2022 BCSC 310 (CanLII):

The difference between the credibility and reliability of a witness was discussed in Edwards v. Stroink, 2015 BCSC 1318 at para. 37: The credibility of a witness is not the same as reliability of a witness. Credibility has to do with a person’s veracity or truthfulness, whereas reliability deals with accuracy of the witness’s testimony. Accuracy involves consideration of the witness’s ability to accurately observe, recall and recount events in issue. Any witness whose evidence on an issue is not creditable cannot give reliable evidence on the same point. On the other hand, a finding that a witness is credible does not translate automatically into a finding that what that witness says about an event is accurate and reliable. That is, a credible witness may very well give unreliable evidence.

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