Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to speak to Bill C-14, an act that proposes a long-awaited reform to Canada's bail and sentencing framework. For too long, the system has focused more on the rights of offenders than on the safety of our communities. Together with police associations, provincial governments, victims and survivors, we have listened to our communities and advocated for stronger bail and sentencing regulations.
However, it is important to remember that these reforms come after years of Liberal policy failures. It took Liberals years to even acknowledge the problems they caused with Bill C-75 and Bill C-5. Even now, under Bill C-14, they have not removed the principle of restraint, the rule that tells police and judges to focus on releasing accused people as quickly as possible under the least restrictive condition. The principle remains the heart of Canada's catch-and-release crisis.
The numbers tell the story of rising crime in our communities. In my riding of King—Vaughan, between 2020 and 2024, assaults increased by 73%, robberies increased by 119% and homicides increased by 100%. In case we missed it, twice the number of people were murdered between 2020 and 2024. Breaking and entering increased by 69%; sexual violations increased by a staggering 194%, and thefts of a motor vehicle increased by 122%. Between 2019 and 2025, York Regional Police charged 19,522 individuals with criminal offences. Of those, 32.6% were charged again for breaching bail or other release conditions. These numbers show a system that too often fails to protect the public from repeat offenders.
Recently, at a town hall in Vaughan, the community came together to hear the story of Darian Hailey Henderson-Bellman, a beautiful young woman of 25 years who was fatally shot on July 28, 2020. The accused killer, Darnell Reid, had been arrested four previous times for violating the condition of his bail, for contacting her. He was also arrested and charged in May 2020 for being in possession of an illegal firearm.
The Liberal catch-and-release principles of restraint ensured that he only spent six days in custody before being released again. A mere three months later, he shot and murdered a young, beautiful soul with her whole life in front of her. Darian's parents, Mr. Paul Henderson and Mrs. Flo Bellman, told the community that courts must make public safety a priority and consider the rights of victims and survivors when deciding bail.
Mr. Henderson said, “Right now, it's on the police officers, Crown attorney and victim to say why the offender should stay in custody, which doesn't make any sense.... What we're suggesting is that [this] needs to be flipped around.”
He continued, “If he hadn't been released on bail again, Darian would be alive today.... The courts put faith in a surety to justify bail, even though the same surety had failed multiple times before with no consequences. That failure cost our daughter her life.”
The pain for Mr. Henderson and Mrs. Bellman is unimaginable. They relive the tragedy every single day: the moment their daughter was shot, the grief of losing her and the knowledge that the system failed her.
The sad story for Mr. Henderson and Mrs. Bellman is their having to relive the tragic death of their daughter and the brutal way in which she was killed. She was shot four times, including once in the eye. Her parents went on to say, “The system seems to prioritize the rights of offenders over the safety and well-being of victims and survivors.... The daily loss of life is unacceptable.... Violent offenders—keep them off the streets to protect those who are most vulnerable in our communities.”
According to an article, the Durham Regional Police's “Chief Peter Moreira said the number of people out on bail committing serious crimes is a ‘growing epidemic’ across Ontario.”
He said, “without a strong deterrent, those people who have already demonstrated that they don't deserve to be in the public spaces, living among us, are out there reoffending and victimizing more and more people”.
York Regional Police chief, Chief Jim MacSween, was clear that the Liberal policy on violent offenders needs to change. Chief MacSween stated, “Once again, we're seeing cases where individuals released on bail are involved in serious crimes within our communities. To ensure public safety and protect our officers, we need a bail system that effectively addresses repeat violent offenders while maintaining public confidence.”
King—Vaughan has seen this first-hand. Months ago, a father of four, Abdul Aleem Farooqi, was shot and killed in front of his children during a home invasion in Vaughan. Just last week, York Regional Police announced arrests and charges. One of the suspects, Mohammad Abuhmaid, a 26-year-old from Mississauga, was out on bail at the time of the murder. He faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, breaking and entering with intent, robbery with a firearm, possession of stolen property over $5,000 and breach of probation.
Police said, “There are four separate forms of release that he was out in the community on.... The offences vary in severity...but it is concerning when this type of event happens.”
In addition, a 16-year-old remains at large, wanted for multiple offences, including first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. These tragedies are preventable. If bail laws had prioritized public safety instead of the Liberal principle of restraint policy, Mr. Farooqi might be alive today. His children would still have their father, but this family now has to live with unimaginable loss.
Bill C-14 proposes some improvements, but it does not go far enough. It fails to remove the principle of restraint, the very clause added in Bill C-75 that tells judges and police to prioritize release. Mandatory minimums repealed by Bill C-5 have not been restored, leaving sentencing highly discretionary. The limits imposed on conditional sentences do not go far enough. Those sentenced for robbery, firearms and human trafficking offences can still access home arrest.
A police detective recently told me a story about an individual he arrested who was in possession of an illegal firearm. When arrested, the individual laughed and said that he would be out before the paperwork was finished. He also told the detective that since the Liberals removed the mandatory minimum for illegal gun possession, he would not have to do a minimum of three years in jail. He would be out in no time. He was smiling from ear to ear.
The Liberals have spent years ignoring the mess they created with Bill C-75 and Bill C-5. They finally admitted that changes were needed, but their so-called reforms still leave dangerous repeat offenders in the systems that prioritize their release over public safety.