Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to Bill C-14, a bill the government has introduced to strengthen bail and sentencing laws. With over 80 clauses, it represents a major step in modernizing Canada's criminal justice system and reinforcing public safety. Today I would like to speak to the House about three of the amendments that aim to protect our communities by strengthening our sentencing regime. These amendments would create new aggravating factors targeting offences against first responders, as well as theft and mischief offences that harm essential infrastructure, and retail theft.
Recently I met with Keegan Gordon and Steve Piccolo of the Coquitlam firefighters, who were here in Ottawa for the annual firefighters legislative conference. Both Keegan and Steve spoke of the need for the protections the bill offers to first responders. An aggravating factor is a circumstance or detail about an offence that makes the crime more serious and can lead to harsher sentences. These factors send a message to the court that certain conduct justifies harsher sentences.
Among these amendments are specific provisions aimed at better protecting our first responders, who face a disturbing rise in violence and threats that happen while they do their critical work. Every day, firefighters, paramedics and police officers put themselves in harm's way to keep our communities safe. They accept that their jobs come with risk, including running toward burning buildings, volatile scenes and the unknown. However, no one should have to accept being assaulted while doing their job.
Risk is part of the job; abuse is not, yet across Canada, the stories keep coming. More first responders are being threatened or attacked while simply doing their jobs. In October, a paramedic in Kamloops, B.C., was assaulted while refuelling her ambulance at a gas station on a Sunday evening. An unknown man walked up and hit her, unprovoked. In March, Greg Stubbs, a paramedic on Vancouver Island, was attacked and seriously injured while responding to a call at an encampment in downtown Victoria, and in Winnipeg, union leaders reported nearly 100 assaults on first responders in 2025 alone, including a firefighter's being struck in the face with a metal pole while on duty.
Our police officers, paramedics and firefighters need to know that their safety matters. Bill C-14 proposes a new aggravating factor at sentencing for offenders who commit violent acts and other crimes against all first responders in the course of their duties. This amendment would respond to ongoing calls to denounce and deter violence against first responders. The proposed amendment would build on earlier amendments, including former Bill C-3, which amended the Criminal Code and the Canada Labour Code to create an aggravating factor when the victim of an offence is a health care worker. Ultimately, this change would ensure that judges consider imposing tougher sentences when violence targets those who serve.
The message in Bill C-14 is clear. If someone targets first responders, they can expect zero tolerance. They would be held accountable for their conduct. Just as we must protect those who respond in moments of crisis, we must also protect the systems they rely upon to do their jobs: our power grids, communication networks and transportation corridors. Bill C-14 aims to do this by enacting a new aggravating factor; this would apply to theft and mischief offences that have an impact on essential infrastructure.
Across Canada, we have seen a sharp rise in thefts and damage targeting power lines, railways and telecommunications networks. These are crimes that may look like property offences on paper, but they can shut down hospitals, delay first responders and put whole communities at risk. According to Statistics Canada, metal theft, which includes copper wire along with other things, such as manhole covers, grew 56% between 2018 and 2022. Bell has documented more than 2,200 instances of copper theft nationwide since 2022, with hot spots in Hamilton, Cambridge, Windsor and Quebec's Saguenay region. In Calgary alone there have been over 40 incidents targeting telecommunications infrastructure, causing more than $1.4 million in damages and repairs. Copper wire theft affects entire neighbourhoods, leaving homes without electricity, Internet or access to emergency communications.
When these crimes go unreported, the danger only grows, putting lives at risk.
Bill C-14 makes it clear that attacks on infrastructure are not minor property crimes; they are serious threats to public safety. The bill proposes an aggravating factor when offences like theft, mischief or robbery interfere with access to essential infrastructure, disrupt its functioning or make it unsafe or unfit for use. If someone steals, damages or disrupts the systems people in Canada count on, like our power, communication or transportation networks, it is a threat to public safety. The bill proposes that our justice system treat it this way.
Bill C-14 would also seek to address crimes that harm our businesses and communities, namely retail theft. When we talk about retail theft, we are referring to high-volume, profit-driven crime. These are thefts carried out repeatedly, often by organized networks, with the intent to resell, barter or fraudulently return merchandise. The government has heard concerns raised by provinces, territories and industry stakeholders about the growing problem of this type of theft.
We have seen media coverage and industry data that show organized retail theft in Canada has exploded, costing billions of dollars, involving repeat offenders and violence, and crippling local businesses. Specifically, the Retail Council of Canada has reported that retailers lost an estimated $9.1 billion to theft in 2024, an increase from previous years, and organized theft has been identified as a contributing factor to several retail store closures. The RCC also reported that approximately 45% of theft incidents in 2024 involved violence against employees or customers. In the city of Vancouver, police reported nearly 7,700 shoplifting incidents last year, an increase of about 12% compared to the year before, with shoplifting in the downtown core up 40%.
Bill C-14 recognizes and responds to this reality, seeking to ensure our justice system treats organized, repeat, profit-motivated retail theft with the seriousness it deserves. While courts have long-considered profit motivation an aggravating factor under common law, this amendment would codify that principle in legislation. Codification is important because it ensures consistency across the country and clearly signals to judges, offenders and the public that these crimes are serious and will be treated as such.
Bill C-14 would introduce aggravating factors at sentencing to ensure our courts recognize the seriousness of these crimes. By highlighting the impact on public safety, critical systems and communities, the law would signal to judges that these offences are not ordinary property or assault cases.
In closing, whether it is an attack on those who run toward danger, damage to the systems we rely upon or theft that undermines our communities, Bill C-14 makes it clear that this conduct is unacceptable and will be treated with the seriousness it deserves. We are standing with first responders, protecting critical infrastructure and supporting Canadian businesses and communities. With these measures, we are sending a simple but powerful message that Canada will not tolerate attacks on its people, its systems or its neighbourhoods.