I understand, Minister, but we are here to discuss the bail conditions laid out in the Criminal Code.
Forgive me, but with all due respect, when you say that it's a shared responsibility, I wonder whether you aren't trying to avoid the question. The provinces and territories are the ones who administer the law. There are all the people whose job it is to do just that. Fine, but they merely apply the rules that you lay down, Minister.
That's why I think it's important to look at what those rules are. Today, we are discussing potential reforms to the bail system. Over the last little while, we have seen your government relax those rules, as illustrated by former Bill C‑75, which became An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. The legislation introduced the principle of the least possible interference with freedom, whereby the judge must release the accused at the earliest opportunity, subject to certain conditions. All right.
Then, you did away with minimum sentences for a number of offences, including discharging a firearm with intent. With the minimum sentence being eliminated, accused came to the conclusion that lawmakers saw this crime as less serious.
The same goes for sexual assault, a crime for which conditional sentences are now permitted.
In my humble opinion—and correct me if I'm wrong—what all of that does is create a freer and less restrictive environment for individuals charged with criminal assault. Once you take all that into account, don't you think you should do the opposite? I mean restricting access to bail a bit more and expanding access only reluctantly. Don't you think you should bring back certain minimum sentences and conditional sentences to keep things from going off the rails as they have in recent months?