House of Commons Hansard #32 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was reform.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Opposition Motion—Passage of Bill C-242 Members debate the Conservative's proposed "Jail Not Bail Act" (Bill C-242) for criminal justice reform. Conservatives argue that violent crime is up 55% due to Liberal "catch and release" policies, advocating for immediate passage to prioritize public safety. Liberals state they are developing significant bail reform for this fall, emphasizing comprehensive, constitutionally compliant changes, and addressing root causes of crime. The Bloc Québécois expresses concern for victims and supports measures to crack down on criminal organizations, but cautions against rushing the bill and infringing on fundamental rights. 53300 words, 7 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Abdelhaq Sari Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, what is important to say about this bill, and I will say it again, is that it will be a smart, thoughtful bill that respects the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
What I can say for certain is that it will not be an American-style bill, like the one proposed by the Conservatives. I can assure my colleague that there will be no American-style bill.
Opposition Motion—Passage of Bill C-242Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Winnipeg North Manitoba
Liberal
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the member for Bourassa has been a very strong advocate for his constituents. Looking at the need for bail reform, members such as him, alongside the Prime Minister, have done a great deal of work from within trying to reflect the interests of their constituents. I am wondering if he could provide his thoughts, from his constituents' perspective, as to why it is important that members co-operate in getting this legislation passed.
Abdelhaq Sari Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, since the member referred to my constituents in his question, I would obviously like to talk about prevention.
What my constituents need most is prevention aimed at young people. They need programs that can prevent them from falling into a life of crime, programs that can help them stay in school, and they need a sports centre where young people can gather so they can become the champions, the lawyers and the members of Parliament of tomorrow.
That is what my constituents in Bourassa really want. They do not want to fill our prisons. That is not what they want. That is not what the law is all about. What people actually tell me every day is that they want the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to be respected. That is very important.
Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec Centre, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague thinks of our Conservative friends' decision to remove what is known as the “three strikes and you're out” provision from their new bill, which was directly inspired by certain American practices. What does he think?
Abdelhaq Sari Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, I believe we can work with our neighbours to the south to secure our border. We really need to coordinate our security efforts. However, importing and copying American laws — I do not know if I can say this, but it is not a smart move.
We want to work in a smart way with all stakeholders while respecting the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We are in Canada. We are not south of the border, in the United States. We are not here to fill our prisons. On the contrary, we are here to respect the charter and we have no need to import carbon copies of American laws.
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, is my hon. colleague's government in favour of creating a specific offence to make it a crime to recruit young people to commit offences, as organized crime currently does?
Abdelhaq Sari Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry, I missed part of the question. Could the member repeat it?
Opposition Motion—Passage of Bill C-242Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In no way would I want to mislead the House in any fashion. I did not imply that we pass the motion. I was referring to potential bail reform legislation that would be brought in by the government.
Opposition Motion—Passage of Bill C-242Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec
I thank the parliamentary secretary for clarifying. It is so noted.
Resuming debate, the hon. member for Kitchener Centre.
Kelly DeRidder Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise on behalf of my riding of Kitchener Centre. I rise not just as a member of Parliament today but as a representative of a community. My community, Kitchener, is hurting. It is hurting from rising crime, broken trust and a justice system that no longer puts public safety first.
After a summer of violent crime and eroded trust in our public safety, Canadians are demanding swift action and they have every right to do so. Across this country, violent crime is up 55%. Firearms offences from non-law-abiding citizens have surged by 130%, and extortion has skyrocketed by 330%. These are not just statistics. They represent shattered lives, grieving families and communities living in fear.
This crisis did not happen by accident. In 2019, the Liberal government passed Bill C-75, which forced judges to release offenders at the earliest possible opportunity under the least restrictive conditions. As a result, there is a revolving door by which repeat violent offenders end up back on our streets. I want to be clear: This is a crisis of the Liberals' own making, and Canadians are left to live with the devastating consequences.
I will be splitting my time today.
We have all heard the heartbreaking stories. One that stays with me is that of Daniel Senecal. He was convicted of sexual assault, released under weakened bail laws and then accused of sexually assaulting a three-year-old child, whom we have come to know as little E. This three-year-old child has had to spend three weeks in the hospital recovering from this unimaginable, irrevocable act, and she will be scarred for life. She is a child. That is the cost of this system, which prioritizes offenders over victims.
There is also Scott Weller, a victim of a violent home invasion. Scott said, “As someone who knows firsthand the trauma of a violent home invasion, I believe strongly in the need for Jail not Bail. My family was attacked in what should have been the safety of our own home. The idea that violent offenders could be released back onto our streets is terrifying—not just for us, but for every Canadian family.” Scott's words are powerful. They remind us that public safety must come first, that the rights of victims and families must come before the rights of violent offenders.
The Toronto Police Association put it plainly: “The proposed ideas will put victims and communities first, restoring the balance that is desperately needed at a time when youth violence and gun crimes are out of control and innocent victims are paying the ultimate price.” This is why Conservatives are introducing Bill C-242, the jail not bail act. The bill would restore accountability, protect communities and put victims first.
I will bring this closer to my riding in Kitchener. In the region of Waterloo, in 2024 alone, there were 3,896 undertakings and 2,334 releases. That is a 61% release rate. This means that the majority of the accused individuals were sent back into our neighbourhoods. What is even more troubling is that approximately 50% of the charges brought forward by the Waterloo Regional Police are not being pursued by Crown prosecution. That is half of these cases gone. They are not prosecuted; they are gone.
Of those released on an undertaking or release order in 2023 and 2024, 20% were found to be in disregard of the terms of their release. What is worse is that more than half of those offenders were caught multiple times. These are the repeat offenders we need off our streets.
I received an email today from Anke, a 76-year-old woman in my community. She told me that she is nervous to walk around her community in broad daylight. She wants us to restore Canada to what it was, making it safe for her children and grandchildren.
Families are not the only ones suffering. Businesses in the downtown core of Kitchener Centre are struggling. They are being broken into. Their customers are afraid to come downtown. The rise in crime is hurting our business community of hard-working entrepreneurs, who are trying to keep their doors open and staff safe.
Public safety is economic safety, and right now both are at risk, but perhaps the most disturbing example is what happened recently in my own community: the sexual assault and attempted kidnapping of a six-year-old child. The accused was released on conditions and is still residing in the same community where that child lives. This is not okay. Our children's safety is at risk. No parent should have to live with the fear that a violent offender is living down the street. No child should be put in harm's way because our justice system has failed to act.
Bill C-242, the jail not bail act, would, first, repeal the Liberal principle of restraint and replace it with a directive that public protection and safety be the primary consideration. Second, it would create a new major offences category with reverse-onus bail conditions for charges like firearm offences, sexual assault, kidnapping, human trafficking, home invasion, robbery, extortion, arson and assault.
Third, it would strengthen bail laws by requiring judges to consider an accused's full criminal history and by preventing bail for anyone convicted of a major offence in the last 10 years who is now charged again. Fourth, it would toughen the risk assessment standard from “substantial likelihood” to “reasonably foreseeable”. Fifth, it would prohibit anyone with an indictable conviction from acting as a guarantor. We would enforce bail conditions on guarantors and require non-residents to surrender their passport upon request.
This is not about being punitive; it is about being responsible. It is about restoring order to our streets, trust in our justice system and confidence in our communities. Conservatives are calling on all political parties to set aside political differences and to do what is right. Canadians deserve a justice system that protects them and enables them, not repeat offenders.
To every victim, every family, every child, every business owner and every community that has lived through the trauma of violence, I say that Conservatives hear them. We stand with them. We are taking action. They deserve to learn, live and work in safe streets, to go to bed without worry, to know their children can play safely in their yard and their park, and to live in the Canada we lived in before the Liberals' Bill C-75, the “get out of jail free card” act.
Let us restore justice. Let us restore confidence in public safety. Let us pass Bill C-242, the jail not bail act.
Sima Acan Liberal Oakville West, ON
Mr. Speaker, I did quick research on the crime rate for the member's region, and I see that since 2023, the rates have been coming down, but I want to emphasize that I strongly believe in tougher bail reform. That is why I always say that even one is too many.
Therefore I want to ask the member this: If she truly believes in the motion's stated urgency, why would the Conservatives introduce a bill that undercuts their leader's main crime platform, demonstrating a clear lack of policy consensus in their own party?
Kelly DeRidder Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, a quick Google search might have indicated some crime, potentially, coming down, but the statistics are coming straight from the Waterloo Regional Police Service, and we are talking about repeat violent offenders here. Therefore I am going to ask this question: Will the member across the aisle support Bill C-242, the jail not bail act?
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, of which I am a vice-chair, is finalizing our report on coercive control, gender-based violence and femicide. These studies started during the last Parliament and we are picking up where we left off.
Our next study will focus on a motion that was tabled in collaboration with the Conservative members of the committee. The study will seek to determine how section 810 of the Criminal Code could be improved to ensure the safety of women and girls. Conservative MPs have added a review of bail and sentencing regimes.
Does my colleague not believe that this type of debate should transcend partisanship? Should we not study the issue seriously in the House and in committee, rather than adopting such a bill under closure?
Kelly DeRidder Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have put forward a bill on intimate partner violence that I am hoping all parties also support.
Today, we are debating Bill C-242. I ask the member if she will support our Conservative bill, Bill C-242, the jail not bail act.
Doug Shipley Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to the words of my colleague.
In Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, we have a terrible crime issue. The mayor has actually ordered a state of emergency to be put in place to help deal with some of the lawlessness going on.
I was surprised to hear from the Liberal member opposite that the crime rates are going down. I have in my hand numbers from Stats Canada, saying that total violent crime is up 49.84%, homicides are up 27.75%, sexual assaults are up 74%, total firearms offences are up 116%, extortion is up 357% and auto theft is up 45%. I could keep going, but they are all up. The residents in my riding are definitely concerned that they are going up.
Maybe the member on this side could make clear what is going on in Canada and why it is important today to try to pass the bill to put people in jail and stop bail.
Kelly DeRidder Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-242, the jail not bail act, would stop repeat offenders. I cannot say that enough. A majority of the offences happening in Canada right now are from repeat violent offenders. The bill would help reduce crime by keeping them in jail and not letting them free on the least restrictive conditions. That is what the bill would do to help Canadian families.
Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec Centre, QC
Mr. Speaker, all experts agree that bail reform needs to be thoughtful and intelligent. Just a few months ago, the Conservative leader ran on a “three strikes and you're out” policy, which I think many people said was unreasonable. Why was it dropped from Bill C-242?
Kelly DeRidder Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am going to make this answer very quick.
It has not been dropped. We still support “three strikes and you're out.” The bill that we are debating today is about real bail reform: Bill C-242, the jail not bail act. Will the member opposite support it?
Opposition Motion—Passage of Bill C-242Business of SupplyGovernment Orders
Liberal
Tim Watchorn Liberal Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the citizens of Les Pays-d'en-Haut. It is a pleasure to rise to debate the opposition motion before us, and I will talk particularly about the narrative it tries to present.
The motion suggests that the Liberal government proposed criminal justice reform in the last six months and has failed to act. However, the reality tells a very different story. Just last month, we introduced Bill C-9, the combatting hate act, which includes targeted amendments to the Criminal Code to address hate-motivated offences. The legislation successfully passed second reading yesterday and is now moving to committee for detailed study and consideration.
The Minister of Justice worked tirelessly over the summer to find ways to strengthen and modernize our criminal justice system. He held consultations with his provincial and territorial counterparts as well as police forces, chiefs of police and their associations to ensure that any reform introduced is practical, evidence-based and truly tailored to the needs of Canadians. That is how responsible reform happens: through meticulous study, collaboration and expert advice.
Meanwhile, the Conservative leader was far more preoccupied with his political future than any real public policy work. He spent his summer chasing after a second chance as a candidate parachuted into an Alberta by-election following his resounding defeat at the polls by voters from across the country in the last election, including voters from his former riding of Carleton. Still, he shows no signs of having learned from that experience. Instead of focusing on measures capable of truly improving public safety, he keeps proposing reckless initiatives based on political calculation, putting optics before real solutions to protect Canadians.
Canadians deserve more than slogans and political theatre. They deserve a government that listens, engages experts and acts decisively to make communities safer. That is exactly what the government is doing through legislation that addresses urgent issues while respecting the principles of justice and fairness. That is why the federal government has taken important steps to reform the bail system in recent years.
In 2023, former Bill C-48 made meaningful changes to strengthen the bail system in response to concerns about efficiency and repeat offending. For example, it created a reverse onus to target serious repeat violent offences involving weapons. It expanded the list of firearms that trigger a reverse onus at bail. It also broadened the reverse onus, targeting repeat offenders in cases of intimate partner violence.
These changes made it more difficult for accused persons to obtain bail when they are charged with serious repeat violent offending. These changes were not the result of partisan initiatives. They reflected a broad collaboration with provinces, territories, law enforcement and legal experts. Every step was guided by data, evidence and consultation with those working on the front lines of criminal justice.
Despite these reforms, we understand that Canadians remain concerned about repeat and violent offending. That is why, as set out in the government's 2025 electoral platform and reaffirmed at the first ministers' meeting in June, the government will introduce legislation this fall to further strengthen both bail and sentencing provisions in the Criminal Code.
Our federal government committed to establishing a reverse onus for a range of serious crimes, in particular violent car theft, car theft for a criminal organization, home invasion, and human trafficking and smuggling, in order to make it much harder to get bail in these circumstances.
Our government also committed to amending the Criminal Code to direct courts to primarily consider denunciation and deterrence when sentencing repeat car thieves or home invasion offenders. Other commitments included broadening the possibility of consecutive sentencing for car theft with violence or car theft involving a criminal organization.
These are concrete measures aimed at addressing repeat and violent offending throughout the criminal justice process. They represent an approach that is strategic, evidence-driven and focused on protecting public safety without sacrificing the rights and fairness that are foundational to the justice system.
We also know that reform cannot happen in isolation. The operation of the bail system is a shared responsibility between federal and provincial and territorial governments. While the federal government sets the legal framework, the provinces and territories manage day-to-day operations, including court and jail administration. Strengthening the law at the federal level must therefore be complemented by effective enforcement, resources and oversight at the provincial level. Without this coordination, even the best legislation would not achieve meaningful change.
Data and evidence also play a crucial role. Provinces and territories collect the data necessary to evaluate how bail laws are functioning, identify gaps and implement improvements. Better data allows government to track outcomes, assess risks and ensure that measures designed to protect public safety are actually working. This is why our government continues to work closely with partners across the nation to improve data collection, transparency and reporting in the criminal justice system.
Public safety is built through thoughtful policy, strong partnerships and sustained action. It is not achieved with slogans and partisanship. It is built when governments work together to address the root causes of crime, including poverty, trauma, mental health issues and housing insecurity, and when individuals get the support they need to rebuild their lives.
Canadians deserve a bail system that protects communities while respecting the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as a sentencing regime that holds offenders accountable while promoting reintegration.
Our government is delivering on that promise. We are not acting hastily or out of political expediency. We are consulting experts, collaborating with our provincial counterparts and developing laws that work in practice. We are introducing legislation to ensure that violent repeat offenders face appropriate consequences, that the courts have the tools they need to protect public safety and that the justice system works effectively and fairly for all Canadians.
In conclusion, Canadians expect a government that acts responsibly, listens to experts and delivers results. That is what we are doing with our criminal justice reform agenda. We have introduced Bill C-9 to fight hate crime. We strengthened the bail system through former Bill C-48, and we are now preparing additional measures this fall to further address repeat and violent offending.
This is not about political games or empty slogans. It is about real action, public safety and justice. That is exactly the approach Canadians elected this government to take.
Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley Township—Fraser Heights, BC
Mr. Speaker, over the summer months, I had the opportunity to visit the downtown Vancouver core and some businesses there and organizations that support businesses. We heard about the explosive growth of crime on the streets: shoplifting, smashed windows, open drug use. Merchants do not even bother calling the cops anymore because the police say that with the Liberal bail laws of release at the earliest opportunity and with the least restrictive conditions, the criminals are out on the street again before the sun sets that evening, wreaking havoc on the streets.
Will the member agree with me that this is untenable and that something needs to be done for our downtown cores? I am sure it is in his riding as well.
Tim Watchorn Liberal Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC
Mr. Speaker, we all agree that criminality is on the rise and needs to be addressed. We all agree that bail reform is a necessary process that has to be done properly. It has to respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and it has to be done so that once the legislation is passed it is not overturned by the Supreme Court. That is what our government will do with the legislation that will be presented in the fall.
Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, does my colleague from Les Pays‑d'en‑Haut agree with the Bloc Québécois that we need to crack down on criminal organizations, including by creating an organized crime registry similar to the registry of terrorist organizations? This would make it easier to prove that a crime has been committed for the benefit of a criminal organization.
Does he agree that we should facilitate asset seizure by reversing the onus to avoid the dissipation of assets when an organized crime figure is arrested? Does he agree that we should create an explicit offence to criminalize the recruitment of young people to commit crimes?
Tim Watchorn Liberal Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the east for his question. He is my riding neighbour.
I find these proposals rather interesting. However, I think they should be debated in committee. I suggest that my colleague across the way bring up these ideas in committee. They will be given serious consideration.
Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec Centre, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague and thank him for his wisdom in pointing out that, when bills and laws passed by this government are overturned and struck down by the Supreme Court, it has truly harmful consequences for the justice system and for victims.
Could my colleague elaborate on the harmful consequences that poorly drafted laws and bills can have on victims?