Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to rise in support of this bill. It holds deep meaning for victims of violent crime and for me, personally, as a resident and the newest member of Parliament for Oshawa.
Bill C-221 builds upon years of advocacy for greater transparency and fairness in Canada's parole system. It also continues the work of my predecessor, the former member of Parliament for Oshawa, Dr. Colin Carrie, who introduced this initiative as Bill C-320 in the 44th Parliament. It is inspired by the strength and determination of Oshawa resident, and my good friend, Lisa Freeman. I had the privilege of working with Dr. Carrie during the time when he was advancing this bill. We listened to victims and pushed for a justice system that acknowledges their needs. I saw how deeply Lisa's experiences and advocacy shaped this legislation.
Bill C-221 is rooted in real stories and responds directly to real failures that have left victims without clear information, timely notice or the transparency they deserve. I want to thank my colleague, the member for Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, for reintroducing this crucial legislation and providing me the honour of seconding it.
To understand why this bill matters, we have to understand its origin. More than 30 years ago, my community of Oshawa was shaken by the murder of Roland Slingerland. I remember that time. I was a young teenager, and the shock of his death spread quickly through the city. People talked about it in school, in the neighbourhood and around the dinner table. It was one of those moments that made the entire community stop and confront the reality of violence in our midst.
Roland was a caretaker at a rooming house. He was a navy veteran and a father of four daughters. He was murdered while trying to protect a woman fleeing domestic violence. The axe murderer who killed him had gone looking for his estranged girlfriend, and Roland refused to reveal where she was living. He did what any decent person would do. He put someone else's safety first, and for that courageous act, he lost his life.
What our community later learned was even harder to process. The man who murdered Roland Slingerland was on parole at the time for previous offences. He had already been released back into the community. The system that was supposed to safeguard the public did not do so. It failed Roland and his family, and the impact of that failure has lasted more than three decades.
For Lisa, that impact did not end with the trial. She has spent most of her adult life navigating the parole process, not by choice but because every decision made about the offender directly affects her sense of safety and her family's well-being.
However, time and time again, she was left without the information she needed. Major decisions were made without her knowledge. Transfers happened without notice. Security levels changed with no explanation. Hearing dates shifted unpredictably. Too often, the reasons behind these decisions were never provided at all. At times, she was shut out of the process completely, except Lisa refused to stay silent.
Many Canadians believe that, when a judge hands down a life sentence with no parole for 25 years, the meaning is clear, but for victims and their families, the reality is far more complicated. There are multiple forms of conditional release, multiple review stages and multiple opportunities for offenders to return to the community, sometimes years earlier than the public expects or the sentence implies.
When victims are not given the information they need, this complexity becomes overwhelming and damaging, and it forces families to relive trauma again and again. This is what Bill C-221 addresses. The current mandate under the Parole Board of Canada is that it is able to provide certain information to registered victims, but this practice is inconsistent today. Victims do not always receive timely or adequate information. They are left with vague dates, incomplete updates and no understanding of how decisions were made. This is not a minor administrative issue. It is a systematic failure that has caused real harm.
This bill would strengthen the Corrections and Conditional Release Act by requiring, by law, that when the Parole Board provides information about eligibility dates or review dates for temporary absences, releases or parole, it must include an explanation of how those dates were determined.
Victims would no longer receive information without context. They would no longer be forced to interpret a system that feels deliberately opaque. They would receive clear reasoning so they can understand what is happening, prepare for what is coming and participate meaningfully in the process as they wish. For victims, this is not symbolic; it is practical and essential. It would provide predictability where there has been stress and uncertainty. The bill recognizes that victims are not observers on the sidelines; they are people deeply affected by each step of the parole process, and they deserve to be treated with dignity.
What is also important is the overwhelming support the bill has earned. The previous version, Bill C-320, passed unanimously in the House. It passed unanimously at committee. Every party in the House supported it. Independent senators supported it. Victims' rights organizations across Canada also voiced their support because they recognized that transparency in the parole process is essential to restoring trust. The bill was as close to becoming law as possible before the government prorogued Parliament so that the Liberals could hold a leadership race. However, it made it all the way to third reading in the Senate. The consensus was clear across political lines, across both chambers and among those who work directly with victims every day. Today, with Bill C-221, we have the chance to complete that work. We have a chance to take a bill that has already earned national agreement and turn it into real protection for victims and their families.
The bill before us would not fix every problem with our parole system; much more needs to be done to ensure that victims' rights are upheld and that their participation is respected at every stage. However, it is a significant step. It is targeted and reasonable. It addresses a specific gap that has caused hardship and fear for too many Canadians. Above all, it would ensure that the experiences faced by Lisa and her family are not repeated.
Lisa never sought recognition or public attention. She simply refused to accept a system that repeatedly disregarded her. She supports other victims. She has written books; she holds workshops and vigils, and she continually pushes for transparency so that no one else will have to suffer what her family endured. Lisa's father showed courage that day when he protected someone in danger. Today, she carries that courage forward in her advocacy for victims, and the bill reflects her determination to create a better path for future victims. It will not change what she went through, but she hopes that others will be able to go through the parole process without the same harm and hurt that she did.
Bill C-221 is a testament to what can be achieved when victims speak and when lawmakers listen. It shows what is possible when a community refuses to let injustice stand unchallenged. The bill is ready to become law. Victims deserve information they can rely on, and they deserve a system that treats them with respect. The bill would deliver a simple and necessary change that will finally give victims transparency where there has only been disregard.
I urge Parliament to finish the work that began years ago, make this protection permanent and pass the bill through all stages quickly and unanimously.