Evidence of meeting #124 for Justice and Human Rights in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
Thank you very much to the minister.
Thank you very much to the MPs around the table.
Minister, that concludes your appearance with us this afternoon. I'm going to suspend for three minutes to allow your departure, and then we will continue our time with the witnesses who are here.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
Okay, we will continue.
There's no need for statements. That has been done.
Mr. Fortin, since I know you are going to ask me, I will let you know that we are starting the next rounds, for which the speaking times and order of speakers are different.
Ms. Ferreri, the floor is yours for five minutes.
Conservative
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you so much to the officials here.
We have officials here from the Minister of Justice's office, the folks working alongside this office. We just heard testimony from the minister, and to call it appalling would be kind, to be honest with you.
I am somebody who has sat on the status of women committee for the last three years and listened to the stats on women being murdered in broad daylight, including here in Ottawa. Down the road, a woman died in a park in front of her two children. Her throat was slit, and innocent people had to hold her while she died in their arms in front of her children.
The minister said he's reformed bail, but the people committing these crimes are out on bail. It was very insulting testimony to victims of violence.
I think it's very pertinent that I move the following motion. It was put on notice on November 26. The motion reads:
Given that members of Parliament committed to 16 days of action to combat gender-based violence; that one woman or girl is killed every single day in Canada; and that since 2015, sexual assaults have increased 74%, sexual violations against children have increased 118%, kidnapping has increased 10%, harassing communications have increased 86% and human trafficking has increased 83%, the committee report to the House that Liberal criminal justice policies have failed to protect women and the committee undertake a study of no less than two meetings during the 16 days of action to combat gender-based violence to hear from survivors of domestic violence, experts and advocates.
I'm asking for some retribution, because what the minister said here today in committee was that he himself has done a tremendous job in combatting gender-based violence. I'm moving this motion to hopefully get the support of every member in this committee to study this. Let's actually let victims have their voices heard.
Sergeant Lisa Harris from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary was here. She testified at the status of women committee last week and said:
The death of Cortney Lake—
It's really important that we say victims' names.
—highlights the tragic consequences that can happen when those accused of intimate partner violence are allowed to remain free on bail, with few repercussions for breaching court orders. Her story is one of many that demonstrate the urgent need for stricter bail conditions for those accused of intimate partner violence.
If we are serious at the justice committee, I would urge every member to vote in favour of this study to bring forward victims, who definitely need to have their voices heard, and implement the policies that can be made today to stop this insane attack on women and stop gender-based violence, especially in our northern regions, where we have an epidemic.
Just a couple of weeks ago, a young woman who was 16 years old was brutally attacked in broad daylight. Again, her attacker was out on bail. Police in northeastern Ontario respond to over 100 intimate partner violence calls every single week.
This is the justice committee. If people are serious here, we have to do something.
I will leave it at that. I plead with members of the committee to take this motion very seriously because 187 women were killed violently in Canada last year. That is one woman every two days. According to Peel Regional Police, a woman is strangled every single day in this country. We can do better.
Liberal
James Maloney Liberal Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to thank Ms. Ferreri for bringing forward this motion.
The minister has been on record, time and again, describing gender-based violence as an epidemic. To suggest that anybody doesn't take it seriously would be a mis-characterization in the extreme. It is a topic that merits discussion at this committee, at other committees and in Parliament as a whole. I would like to see this motion reviewed very carefully and perhaps expanded.
We have witnesses here today and our schedule and timetable are full until the end of this session, until Christmas, so I move to adjourn debate to allow us the opportunity to consider this motion further down the road.
Conservative
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
You're really putting your money where your mouth is, James. She'll love that answer. She's watching you right now, just so you know.
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
It's on the motion to adjourn. We have a motion to adjourn debate.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
I need the clerk to deal with that before proceeding any further.
(Motion agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5)
Madam Ferreri, I'm going to give you two more minutes, if you like, with the witnesses.
Conservative
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
I'll take them, for sure. Thank you, Chair.
One thing that has come up repeatedly, which is not protecting victims on the street, who are being hurt and murdered by repeat violent offenders out on bail, is Bill C-75.
Police Chief Stuart Betts, who testified at the status of women committee, said:
We know that release from custody is a ladder principle and that the least onerous form of custody is to hold that person accountable for their behaviour while they're awaiting a trial, and that is what we are letting people out on. Often, that is perhaps underserving victims in our community because the least onerous, depending on the nature of that offence, is insufficient to protect our community once they've been released.
A Liberal member then tried to question him by saying, “it's the application of the law; it's not the law itself.” Chief Stuart Betts replied, “I'm sorry. It is the law itself as well, because it is how it's currently being applied but it is also the law.”
My question to the officials is this: What are you doing to change and implement Bill C-75 so that violent repeat offenders are not getting out on bail?
Matthew Taylor Senior General Counsel and Director General, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
I can say a couple of things. The first thing I'd point you to is the recent meeting of FPT ministers responsible for justice and public safety. These ministers, provincial and federal, met in October and agreed that there continue to be challenges in the bail system and that, through them, officials at all levels of government should continue to collaborate—
Conservative
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
I'm sorry. My frustration and anger are certainly not directed at you; I know you're officials, but the Minister of Justice is the minister responsible for justice in the country. Is that correct?
Senior General Counsel and Director General, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
The federal Minister of Justice is responsible for—
Liberal
Conservative
Conservative
Conservative
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
We don't need a meeting about what's not working. We need action from the justice minister.
Thank you.
