Justice Committee on Feb. 2nd, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, James Maloney]

I would like to call this meeting to order.

Good morning, everybody. I'm glad to see everybody on a bright, shiny Monday morning. Welcome to meeting number 16 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Pursuant to the order of reference of November 18, 2025, the committee is meeting to continue its study of Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act regarding bail and sentencing.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format. Pursuant to the Standing Orders, members are attending in person in the room and remotely by using the Zoom application.

I'd like to confirm that the sound tests were made successfully.

Before we continue, I would ask all in-person participants to consult the guidelines written on the cards on the table. These measures are in place to help prevent audio and feedback incidents and to protect the health and safety of all participants, including and especially the interpreters. You will also notice a QR code on the card, which links to a short awareness video.

I'd like to take a few moments for the benefit of witnesses and members.

Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mic, and please mute yourself when you are not speaking.

For those on Zoom, at the bottom of your screen you can select the appropriate channel for interpretation: floor, English or French. Those in the room can use the earpiece and select the desired channel.

I will give a reminder that all comments should be addressed through the chair.

For members in the room, if you wish to speak, please raise your hand. For members on Zoom, please use the “raise hand” function. The clerk and I will manage the speaking order as best we can. We appreciate your patience.

This morning, we have two panels of witnesses. I would like to welcome our witnesses for the first hour.

From the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, we have Katherine Valentino, the president, who is here in person. Thank you for being here.

Online we have, from the Canadian Urban Transit Association, Michael Atlas, honorary counsel.

Also with us this morning, from the National Police Federation, is its president, Brian Sauvé.

Welcome to the witnesses. We're pleased you're here.

This is a very important piece of legislation. I know that is the opinion of everybody in this room. I should point out that it's also the opinion of all the premiers from across the country, who on Friday issued a joint statement encouraging us to pass Bill C-14 “expeditiously”, to use their word. I'm glad everybody is enthused about it.

In that vein, I just want to let members know that on Wednesday we will be starting at 3:30, not 4:30, and that we have more resources than we should need—until one o'clock in the morning, I'm told.

Go ahead, Mr. Brock.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Chair, that could be problematic. I think we have four votes after QP.

[The Chair, Liberal, James Maloney]

It's subject to votes, of course.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

That's right.

[The Chair, Liberal, James Maloney]

We were regularly starting at 4:30 because of the votes, so that may end up being the case. It's at 3:30 or as soon as the votes are done. Let's put it that way.

[Roman Baber, Conservative, York Centre, ON]

Will there be witnesses to start, or—

[The Chair, Liberal, James Maloney]

We have two hours of witnesses to start Wednesday, and then we'll go right into clause-by-clause consideration.

On that note, I will open the floor to the witnesses, who have up to five minutes each for their opening statements. I'll start on my left.

Please go ahead, Mr. Sauvé.

[Brian Sauvé, President, National Police Federation]

Good morning, Chair and members of the committee.

My name is Brian Sauvé. I'm a sergeant with the RCMP and also the president of the National Police Federation, the union representing nearly 20,000 members of the RCMP across Canada and internationally. Thank you for the opportunity to appear today to discuss Bill C-14.

Every day, our members see the impact that a small number of high-risk, repeat violent offenders have on community safety. They also see the strain placed on victims, witnesses and frontline police officers when those individuals are repeatedly released, breach their conditions and are quickly returned to the streets. Bill C-14 is a meaningful step forward in addressing this reality.

The NPF supports the bill's clarification that public safety must be explicitly weighed in bail decisions. This aligns the law more closely with what police encounter on the ground. Individuals with lengthy criminal histories, with repeated breaches of court orders and with escalating patterns of violence too often cycle through the system under conditions that prove ineffective or unenforceable.

We also support the targeted expansion of reverse onus provisions for serious, violent and weapons-related offences. In clearly high-risk situations, it is reasonable and appropriate to require the accused to demonstrate why their release would not endanger the public. This change promotes greater consistency across the country, and it better reflects real-world risk. Additional measures in the bill, such as mandatory no-weapons conditions for organized crime offences and direction to consider whether an offence was random and unprovoked, further strengthen the public safety lens applied at bail.

However, legislative reform on its own is not enough. Police officers are often the first decision-makers in the bail process, making release or detention decisions shortly after arrests and frequently with incomplete information. The effectiveness of Bill C-14 will depend on whether police and courts have reliable, real-time access to an accused's outstanding charges, prior breaches, bail conditions and patterns of violence across jurisdictions.

National systems such as the Canadian Police Information Centre are essential tools, but they were not designed to function as comprehensive real-time bail risk management platforms. Gaps or delays in data entry and sharing can lead to inappropriate releases and weaker bail positions before the courts. Modern interoperable national information sharing is essential if the bill's public safety objectives are to be realized in practice.

Stronger bail conditions must also be meaningfully enforced. Our members routinely rearrest the same individuals for repeated breaches, often with limited consequences. This cycle undermines public confidence and consumes significant police resources. Adequate supervision capacity, consistent breach enforcement and clear feedback to police on court outcomes are critical. While provinces administer bail, federal leadership through coordination, funding and national expectations can drive more consistent results.

Finally, effective bail begins with effective investigations. Modern crime is increasingly digital. When police cannot lawfully and quickly access digital evidence, charges may not be laid or critical information may be missing at bail hearings. Updating lawful access authorities is therefore a foundational public safety measure that complements the goals of this bill.

In closing, the National Police Federation supports the central direction of Bill C-14 and its focus on protecting communities from repeat violent offending. In pairing these legislative reforms with modern information sharing, enforceable supervision and lawful access to evidence, Canada can build a bail system that is fair, consistent and genuinely protective of public safety.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I look forward to any questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, James Maloney]

Thank you, Mr. Sauvé.

Ms. Valentino.

[Katherine Valentino, President, Association of Manitoba Municipalities]

Thank you, everyone, for the opportunity to speak to you this morning.

I'm Kathy Valentino. First and foremost, I'm from the city of Thompson in northern Manitoba—next stop, Churchill—and I'm a city councillor there. We have the largest RCMP contract in the province of Manitoba. We're typically number one in the crime severity index.

I'm here today in the capacity of president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, which represents all 137 municipalities across the province. The AMM is non-partisan, and Manitoba municipalities are united in supporting legislation aimed at strengthening the public safety system and creating a far more effective justice system, because crime does not respect municipal boundaries or political lines. On behalf of the AMM, I wanted to attend in person to express my strong support for efforts to strengthen bail and sentencing provisions through Bill C-14.

Across Manitoba, our residents are concerned about crime. Almost nine in 10 support bail reform and Criminal Code changes to address repeat offending, and 69% report being personally worried about crime. These concerns continue to grow as repeat offenders are frequently being released on bail. These risks are especially acute in Manitoba, which has among the highest violent crime rates in Canada.

Municipalities have long warned about repeat prolific offenders being released on bail, and some recent tragedies underscore why.

Last year, near the city of Portage la Prairie, Mayor Knox spoke publicly about a young woman who was tragically killed by an alleged impaired driver operating a stolen vehicle. At the time, the Manitoba RCMP had an arrest warrant for the accused for failing to comply with release conditions.

More recently, in Brandon, Manitoba's second-largest city, Mayor Jeff Fawcett raised concerns after police responded to a machete assault near an elementary school, prompting a lockdown while the kids were on the playground. The accused was already under release conditions. Since 2021, “breach” and “failure to comply” charges in Brandon have increased by over 20%.

Winnipeg has seen similar patterns. Mayor Scott Gillingham pointed to an offender, just in his mid-twenties, who has been convicted of 24 violent crimes over 11 years and violated bail or probation conditions 12 separate times.

Taken together, these incidents underscore the need for strong reforms to deter crime and prioritize our public safety.

Across Manitoba, our police are repeatedly arresting the same individuals, and frontline workers—including our firefighters, paramedics, and transit, hospital and bylaw staff—are regularly exposed to them. Being assaulted on the job is unacceptable, and it affects morale, retention and service delivery. Bill C-14 must include strong protections for first responders, similar to those for peace officers. These include higher penalties for aggravated assaults against paramedics, firefighters and other frontline staff. We strongly welcome the bill's aggravating factor provisions.

More broadly, this isn't about detaining people without reason or locking people up and throwing away the key. It's about recognizing patterns, assessing risk and putting public safety first. Municipalities welcome the acknowledgement that bail reform is necessary. Proposed measures, such as expanded reverse onus provisions and stronger sentencing tools, are critical to our community safety. Municipalities would also support broader measures to address repeat offending, including property and retail crimes.

However, success will not be measured by this legislation alone. The effectiveness of Bill C-14 depends on sustained, coordinated resourcing across the justice and public safety system, in partnership with all orders of government, including adequate police visibility and addressing Manitoba's RCMP vacancy rate, the highest in Canada; support for our first responders to focus on core duties; court system capacity, including hiring sufficient Crown prosecutors to prevent backlogs and delays; and investments in mental health, addictions and social supports to address the root causes of crime.

Ultimately, all of us here want a justice system that instills public confidence, one that protects our communities while remaining fair and effective. You all here, the committee, have the opportunity to move Bill C-14 forward promptly. Crime does not respect political boundaries, and addressing it requires co-operation across governments.

In closing, I thank you for your time and attention. I, too, look forward to taking any questions from the committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, James Maloney]

Thanks very much. Both of you were right on time.

This takes me to Mr. Atlas, who's online.

You have the floor.

[Michael Atlas, Honorary Counsel, Canadian Urban Transit Association]

Good morning, Chair, vice-chairs and members of the committee. I am Michael Atlas, honorary counsel for the Canadian Urban Transit Association, CUTA. I'm also general counsel for the Toronto Transit Commission. I'd like to begin by thanking you for allowing us to appear before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

We cannot talk about national public safety without talking about safety on public transit. That is why I'm here today to ask you to amend the Criminal Code, and more particularly section 269.01, to protect all transit workers from assaults by expanding the current protections, which currently only apply to transit operators.

As the government seeks to build a stronger Canada by amending the Criminal Code, this is an opportunity to address a long-standing issue for transit workers. Public transit is a shared public space and often reflects broader societal challenges, including the mental health crisis, substance use and economic hardships. Across Canada, transit workers are routinely on the front lines of these realities, and unfortunately they experience violence and harassment while carrying out their essential duties of providing critical transportation and mobility to the communities they serve.

These incidents are growing in severity, affecting employees across every part of the transit system, including operators, station staff, maintenance workers, fare enforcement personnel, customer service agents and transit security. For example, in 2025, assaults against TTC employees rose to a high of 40 incidents in one single month—that is 40 employees, who may be your friends or family members, who left home, came to work and were assaulted just for doing their job.

With the support of the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario, TTC has been making investments in safety by expanding frontline presence, partnering to launch the Toronto Police Service neighbourhood community officer program, increasing visibility in stations and more. We've seen the impact of these investments, as customers' feelings of personal safety have risen to 62%, which is a six-point increase from the previous year.

However, assaults against transit workers continue to be a serious issue, impacting the well-being of our essential transit workers not just in Toronto but across the country. One assault against a transit employee is one too many.

In response, the Canadian Urban Transit Association established a transit safety task force to examine the root cause of violence on transit and identify practical solutions. In 2023, the task force released a comprehensive set of recommendations focused on strengthening safety measures, improving incident responses, supporting workers after traumatic events and working with governments and community partners to address broader societal factors.

A key finding from this work is the need for clear legal recognition and protection for all transit workers. Currently under section 269.01 of the Criminal Code, assaults or threats against transit operators are treated as an aggravating factor at sentencing. However, this protection applies very narrowly, limited only to vehicle operators directly employed in driving a bus, train or other transit vehicle. It does not extend to the many other frontline transit employees who interact with the public daily and face similar risks of assault.

Our ask is very simple: Expand section 269.01 to include all transit workers who are performing their duties and not limit its application just to transit operators.

In May 2024, member of Parliament Bardish Chagger introduced Bill C-395, which passed first reading but unfortunately did not advance further. The bill proposed a targeted amendment to section 269.01 to strengthen sentencing provision for assaults or threats against all transit workers. This change, replacing the term “transit operator” with “transit worker”, is simple but significant. It would ensure that all transit workers, not only vehicle operators, are formally recognized as facing elevated risk while performing their essential public duties.

All transit workers play a vital role in ensuring the safety of customers and making customers feel safe. They are often the first on the scene during assaults, medical emergencies and other crises. They protect passengers, they de-escalate volatile situations and they call for assistance.

Assaults against transit workers have serious physical and psychological impacts. They contribute to burnout and make it more difficult for transit agencies to recruit and retain workers. Other frontline public workers receive explicit legal recognition when assaulted in the course of their duties. Transit workers face comparable risks, yet the Criminal Code does not consistently reflect that reality. This issue has received broad political support, with members from both the government and the opposition recognizing the importance of protecting transit workers.

Safe public transit is essential to our economy, our communities and our climate objectives, and it depends on a workforce that feels safe and supported. There's also strong support from transit unions, including the Amalgamated Transit Union. Workers have been clear: legal clarity matters. Explicit recognition of their role and the risks they face reinforces that violence against them will be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

Ultimately, this amendment is about more than sentencing. It's about confidence. Transit workers need to know that the law is on their side before an incident occurs. We encourage the government to take this opportunity to protect workers, because when transit workers are safe, Canadians are safe.

In closing, an amendment to Bill C-14 that would extend section 269.01 protections to all transit workers would be a practical and measured step towards improving transit worker safety. It reflects the lived experience of workers across Canada and would strengthen public transit systems nationwide.

Thank you. I would be pleased to take any questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, James Maloney]

Thank you, Mr. Atlas.

We'll start the six-minute round with Mr. Brock.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, witnesses, for your attendance today.

Mr. Sauvé, Bill C-14 is marketed by this government as a bundle of “sweeping reforms”. In reality, Canada and law enforcement are not getting this. The bill's stated objective is to make “stricter bail laws to address violent and repeat offending, and organized crime” and “tougher sentencing laws for serious and violent crimes”.

This must be a déjà vu moment for you, Mr. Sauvé. As you'll recall, this was the exact messaging we heard from Justin Trudeau and David Lametti, our former justice minister, on the passage of Bill C-48. Both promised Canadians and law enforcement that they were listening and that adding more reverse onus charges to serious criminal offences would lead to a greater number of repeat violent offenders being detained. The explosion of criminality over the last three years proves that this government's approach was wrong.

Although you are on record as being supportive of Bill C-48 as a positive “first step”, are you now guarded with Bill C-14's addition of more reverse onus provisions to criminal charges?

[Brian Sauvé]

I'm not at all guarded. The first step leads to the second step, which hopefully leads to the third step. I think we're also on record as saying that when you talk about bail and the administration of justice, it is a partnership.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

I'm going to stop you right there. Would you agree with me that on Bill C-48, there was no second and third step by this government?

[Brian Sauvé]

What I'm suggesting is that here we are at the second step.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Okay. A second attempt, maybe even a third attempt, at bail reform started with the disastrous addition of the principle of restraint in Bill C-75. Bill C-48 was a failure. Let's hope that Bill C-14 brings necessary changes to law enforcement and Canadians.

Regarding bail, Bill C-14 attempts to defuse outrage for the principle of restraint, which requires judges to release the accused at the earliest opportunity on the least restrictive conditions. It adds a line to clarify that the principle “does not require the accused to be released”.

Do you agree that Canadian judges already know that principle?

[Brian Sauvé]

I think you would have to ask judges that question. I'm just a cop.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Okay.

At over 50 pages long, Bill C-14 addresses a sentence increase to only one criminal offence. Over the course of 10 years, violent crime is up 55%, firearm crime is up 130% and sexual assaults are up 75%, to name a few, yet this tone-deaf government saw fit to increase the penalty for contempt of court from six months to two years less one day. Contempt of court is the refusal of a witness under subpoena to attend court to give evidence.

In your decade-long career in policing, how many contempt of court investigations were you involved in?

[Brian Sauvé]

Personally, I haven't been involved in contempt of court.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

That's zero. I have almost 20 years as a Crown in the Ontario criminal justice system. I had zero prosecutions.

Extortion is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Canada and it is spreading fear across this country. The data is clear: Since the Liberals took office, extortion has surged by more than 330% nationwide. In B.C. alone, extortion is up 582%. In Surrey, the mayor is asking this government to declare a national state of emergency. That city is under siege. Its citizens are terrified, yet Bill C-14 mentions extortion only once: that extortion convictions are to be served consecutively to arson arising from the same event.

Do you think this government should have introduced mandatory minimum penalties for this rise in crime?

[Brian Sauvé]

From my experience, from what I've seen in my 20 or so years in policing, mandatory minimums haven't worked.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Do you believe, then, that to increase the significant penalty for extortion that's currently in the code would be a proper step instead of contempt of court?

[Brian Sauvé]

Well, I thought we were here to talk about bail reform.