Good evening, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today on behalf of the Canadian Police Association, representing more than 60,000 frontline police personnel in Canada.
The CPA broadly supports Bill C-16, the protecting victims act. From a frontline policing perspective, this legislation represents a meaningful and necessary step toward strengthening protections for victims, modernizing key elements of the Criminal Code and addressing ongoing operational challenges within Canada's justice system.
At its core, Bill C-16 reflects the realities that police officers encounter every day. The creation of a new offence targeting coercive or controlling behaviour toward an intimate partner is an important recognition that violence is often a pattern of escalating conduct, not a single incident. Earlier intervention tools in these cases can help prevent more serious harm.
The amendments to criminal harassment, moving from a subjective fear standard to an objective reasonableness test, will better align the law with how these offences are investigated in practice.
We also support strengthened provisions related to child protection, including new offences addressing the recruitment of youth into criminal activity and measures to combat online exploitation, which are areas of growing concern for our frontline officers.
Mr. Chair, I would like to focus on what we see as one of the most important elements of this bill: the provisions addressing delay in the justice system.
Since the Supreme Court's decision in Jordan, frontline police have seen the real consequences of delay in criminal proceedings. While it was intended to protect the rights of the accused, the operational reality is that serious cases are too often at risk of being stayed due to timelines that do not always reflect the complexity of modern investigations.
Bill C-16 takes a constructive step forward by providing clearer guidance to the courts in assessing delay, including recognizing case complexity and reinforcing that a stay of proceedings should be a last resort. When serious cases are stayed due to delay, the impact is immediate and tangible. Victims are left without resolution, communities lose confidence in the system, and the work of frontline officers is undermined. These reforms help restore balance by ensuring that delay analysis better reflects the realities of contemporary policing, including digital evidence, multi-accused prosecutions and the demands placed on victims and witnesses.
Mr. Chair, I'd also like to briefly address some of the concerns that have been raised about this legislation.
We have heard criticism that certain provisions go too far or reflect a particular ideological direction. From the perspective of frontline policing, we would suggest that this debate should remain grounded in practical realities. There is broad support across Canada for police and for holding offenders accountable, but that accountability depends on having a justice system that is equipped to respond to modern crime. Today's investigations are more complex and more digital and often involve vulnerable victims. Measures that clarify offences, modernize tools and help ensure that cases are not lost to delay are practical responses to those challenges, not ideological choices. Public safety policy is strongest when it's guided by evidence and operational experience. In our view, Bill C-16 largely reflects that approach.
In closing, the Canadian Police Association supports Bill C-16 as an important and constructive step forward. It strengthens protections for victims, improves the ability of frontline officers to respond to evolving crime and begins to address long-standing challenges related to delay in the justice system. We encourage all members of Parliament to focus on the practical impact of this legislation and the shared goal of maintaining a justice system that is both fair and effective.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.