I think it is important to talk about former Bill C‑75 as it relates to bail for repeat offenders. That bill received royal assent in 2019. At the time, I was a neighbourhood supervisor, so I was the official in charge. In cases of domestic violence, I had to make a decision based on public interest criteria: release a person on the spot, or detain them until their court appearance.
When the bill was passed, we provided training about that principle to substitute supervisors. We were told that absolutely everything had to be done to release the person, with conditions and their promise to appear in court. Preventive detention until a court appearance became an exception. Such a practice shocked police officers, because we were running the risk of releasing criminals on the spot even if we knew that they posed a risk to their victims. We sometimes had to advise a victim of assault or violence to move elsewhere to protect themselves.
In my opening remarks, I said that, in the case of violent crimes and repeat offenders, the law must be strengthened. In the case of crimes against the person, we have to make sure that a person who is constantly released or who never complies with the conditions of release cannot victimize others.