Thank you.
Good afternoon, honourable members of the committee. My name is Amanda Connolley and I appear on behalf of the law amendments committee of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
For the purpose of clarification, I'm here today on behalf of Vincent Westwick, the past co-president of the law amendments committee. He is unable to attend today due to illness.
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police represents 950 chiefs, deputy chiefs, and other members of the executive of over 130 police services across Canada. The association is committed to progressively modifying the law surrounding crime and questions of community safety.
It is an honour and a pleasure to appear before you today in order to address this important piece of legislation known as Bill C-35, which proposes to reverse the onus in bail hearings for firearm-related offences.
Quite simply, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police supports Bill C-35. The provisions are both reasonable and supportable. It is not unreasonable or unduly burdensome for a person alleged to have committed a serious offence with a firearm to have to meet the burden of proof before being released back into the very community where the crime was committed.
More importantly, these provisions are consistent with positions the CACP has previously submitted to the government. For example, the provisions are in sync with the principle of serious consequences for serious crime. There needs to be a direct correlation between the two, in order to have the proper deterrent effect on the criminal element, as well as to instill a sense of confidence in the public with respect to the effectiveness of the law in dealing with crime. This is also true for the policing community.
Another issue the CACP has been emphasizing is the growing public disaffection with the criminal justice system among police services and communities across Canada. Too often, we hear that people are frustrated, disappointed, and losing confidence in the process. We also hear that the system is letting Canadians down. Provisions such as Bill C-35 intend to counter some of these unproductive trends and restore public confidence in our judicial system.
It is the position of the CACP that a successful anti-gun crime strategy must be multifaceted and include proactive and preventative programs and provisions, such as those in Bill C-35, which allow for reasonable enforcement and community safety.
That concludes my opening remarks. I would welcome any questions members may have today.
I would just add this caveat: I am a last-minute stand-in for Mr. Westwick, so I may not be able to provide fulsome answers to your questions. However, I can undertake to provide written response to your questions if I'm unable to answer them today. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police did not want to miss this opportunity to comment on such an important piece of legislation.
Thank you.