Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' reckless bail laws are destroying lives.
Kellie Verwey of Portage la Prairie was just 28 years old. She had a bright future and friends and family who adored her. All of that was ripped away when she was killed because of the actions of James Lorne Hilton, a repeat offender who should have never been free.
Hilton had a long criminal history. He broke his bail conditions again and again, yet the system looked the other way. Instead of protecting Kellie, it protected him. Because of that failure, her parents lost their daughter and her fiancé lost his soon-to-be wife.
Kellie's death was not fate; it was preventable. Her story serves as a painful reminder of the human cost of a broken system that puts criminals ahead of victims. Earlier this year, thousands of Canadians signed my petition calling on the government to act. Now is the time. There is simply no reason to wait. I plead with the Liberals to pass our Conservative jail not bail act because no family should ever get the call that their loved one is not coming home thanks to a broken bail system.