Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to rise today realizing the gravity of this debate for millions of Canadians.
For those who are new to the country, which at some point most of us were or our ancestors were, Canada was once a safe harbour with a reasonable guarantee that someone could live out life free from harassment, harm or extortion. That meant peaceful communities where front doors were often left unlocked, and people had little fear of having their car stolen while they slept. It meant they could enjoy Canada's vibrant city life knowing that streets were safe and that stopping illegal drugs and firearms was a priority. It meant the most dangerous criminals were kept behind bars, where they belonged, not continually passing through a revolving door, going from our courts to back out on the streets. It meant we had a federal government that protected families from these harms through the strictest possible laws while ensuring they were enforced in our courts.
After 10 years of the Liberal government, the reality is much different. Terrible legislation, like Bill C-5 and Bill C-75, demonstrates that the consequences of reckless ideological Liberal policies are real.
Since 2015, violent crime is up 55%, firearms crime is up 130%, extortion has exploded 330%, sexual assaults have risen 76% and homicides are up 29%. In fact, a new report just released by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute analyzed crime data from 20 metropolitan areas representing nearly two-thirds of Canada's population. It found that Canada's violent crime rate has climbed steadily since the middle of the last decade. It has been an era defined by lenient bail, soft-on-crime persecution and police resources stretched way too thin. As stated in the report:
...the latest evidence suggests that the problem is broader and more entrenched than many realize. Policymakers can no longer rely on temporary explanations or regional anomalies. The challenge now is to restore public confidence and measurable accountability in how we protect our cities.
What logical government would stand by the policies that have resulted in a prolonged nationwide crime wave? Sadly, obstruction and inaction have been the Liberal approach for the better part of a decade. However, bills like Bill C-14 prove that determined and principled opposition can be effective in spurring change. This bill is a rare Liberal admission that the Liberals' criminal justice reforms have failed. While it is a step in the right direction of the Conservative approach to bail and sentencing, it does not repeal the principle of restraint or restore mandatory minimum sentences.
What drove the government to finally introduce Bill C-14? Bill C-75, in 2019, codified the principle of restraint, requiring law enforcement and courts to release accused individuals at the earliest reasonable opportunity and under the least onerous conditions. This effectively created a catch-and-release system, subjecting communities to dangerous offenders while they awaited trial. Bill C-5, in 2022, went further, scrapping several mandatory minimum sentences and liberalizing the use of house arrest for serious offences such as sexual assault.
Bill C-14, the bill we are debating today, makes a start at addressing the serious implications of Bill C-75 and Bill C-5. It clarifies that the principle of restraint would not require an offender's outright release. It also directs courts to take into account the number and gravity of charges facing the accused when determining bail. With Bill C-14, there is an incentive for those who have abused our justice system and grown accustomed to getting away with multiple serious crimes with little or no repercussions to think twice. There are other encouraging elements of the bill, such as requiring consecutive sentences for repeat auto theft, breaking and entering, extortion and arson offences.
The purpose of sentencing has been refocused on the protection of the Canadian public, at least to some degree, rather than solely on the rehabilitation of the offender. When sentencing, a judge must consider a new aggravating factor involving repeat violent behaviour over the last five years. The bill would also partially reverse Bill C-5's expansion of house arrest eligibility.
Yes, there are many beams of light in the bill that attempt to break through the stormy skies of the last six years of a soft-on-crime agenda. However, it comes up short. The fact is that dangerous elements of the Liberal ideology on crime and punishment remain. Bill C-14 is not an outright repeal of the principle of restraint, and it would not restore mandatory minimums. It is truly a missed opportunity to toughen up penalties for serious violent offences. While consecutive sentences and aggravating factors are useful, they are still left to judicial discretion when applying them.
Why does it matter that we get the bill right? All major urban centres have seen an increase in violent crime, but so have our smaller cities and rural communities across Manitoba, Alberta and my home province of Saskatchewan.
There is simply no more time to waste. Canadians no longer feel safe in their communities. Every day that passes without a return to a common-sense approach to crime puts more innocent Canadians at risk. A Postmedia-Leger poll shows growing concern among Canadians about personal safety and the effectiveness of their justice system: 51% say they worry about safety in their neighbourhoods, including the risk of a home invasion. Concern is highest among young people aged 35 to 54, a group that is most likely to have families and own homes.
A striking 87% of Canadians believe they have the right to use reasonable force against an intruder, a number that climbs to 92% in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and among those 55 years and older. Leger executive vice-president Andrew Enns notes that this sentiment is long-standing but significant, warning that widespread distrust in the justice system can erode respect for the law. Certainly, criminals do not respect or fear these laws, whereas innocent Canadians are living in fear and facing consequences.
Overall, 54% believe that the justice system works against law-abiding citizens, while only 29% think it protects Canadians. That is a sad and regrettable reflection on the ability of the Liberal government to inspire confidence in its system of justice, but it is well deserved. The Liberals have consistently ignored police, municipalities, business owners and, above all, law-abiding Canadians in standing by policies that fail to keep us safe. Members should note that I said they “consistently ignored”, not that they failed to see or grasp the increased breadth of violent crime erupting across Canada over the last decade of their Liberal rule.
Unfortunately for residents of the James Smith Cree Nation in my home province, this reality is beyond real. On September 4, 2022, a mass stabbing spree unfolded across 13 locations in the Cree Nation and the nearby village of Weldon.
Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and wounded 17. He had 59 previous criminal convictions, including for assault with a weapon, robbery and threats. He had been granted statutory release in August 2021 after serving a sentence, but by May 2022 he was unlawfully at large after failing to keep in touch with his parole officer. In the wake of this tragedy, many questions surrounded the decisions of the court, the parole board and Corrections Canada. What rationale validates repeatedly releasing this violent criminal from custody despite his dozens of convictions?
Another tragedy unfolded this September at the Hollow Water First Nation, where 26-year-old Tyrone Simard, known to police and our courts, went on a horrifying rampage. He stabbed eight people across two homes in Hollow Water, killing his own 18-year-old sister, Marina, and injuring seven others.
Why was he out on bail? Three months earlier, he had been charged with assault with a weapon and mischief. A Winnipeg court released him just four days later with these conditions: a curfew, no alcohol or drugs, no weapons and, heartbreakingly, no contact with his sister. He violated every one of those conditions. He returned to Marina's home and took her life.
The law did not adequately protect Marina or the people of Hollow Water First Nation, James Smith Cree Nation or the village of Weldon. The Liberal system designed for restraint and lighter sentences has not served public safety. The government needs to remove Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 and strengthen Bill C-14, to repair the damage, in memory of those who have lost their lives and those left behind with horrific memories.
This House must replace restraint with a public safety primacy clause. Ensuring public and community safety is the governing principle of courts across our lands. We must restore mandatory minimum sentences for firearms offences, sexual offences, repeat violent offences and drug offences. Conditional sentence eligibility must exclude robbery, firearms trafficking and offences by chronic offenders.
It is not too late for the government to adopt the full Conservative plan to stop their decade of turning a blind eye to the rampant chaos, crime and disorder that Bill C-75 and Bill C-5 have encouraged. Bill C-14 must be the beginning of a full restoration of this country's promise of safety and prosperity for Canadians, wherever they live.
