Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to this private members' bill presented by my colleague, the member for Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, Bill C-221, an act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act regarding the disclosure of information to victims. The bill seeks to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to ensure that victims receive clear explanations about how an offender's eligibility and review dates for temporary absences, release and parole are determined.
Every Canadian has the right to feel safe in their community, and I am proud to be a member of a party that values a justice system that serves victims of crime. It follows that if an offender is being released, victims deserve to have an understanding of the decisions leading to the release of the offender and a transparent and accountable explanation of how the decision was reached.
This amendment to the law would ensure that victims would know when offenders could be released, and would then be provided the reasons for why officials determined those eligibility dates.
The contents of this bill are not new. Conservatives have proposed this amendment dating back to the 42nd Parliament. It is such a sensible amendment that it has received widespread support from all sides of this chamber.
Every one of us knows someone who has been a crime victim, unfortunately. The impacts are felt far beyond the individual, to a family, loved ones and eventually, to every community.
Respect for victims should be the standard, not the exception. In order to truly support victims, our legislation has prioritized their rights and well-being. This means giving victims a chance to prepare themselves and understand the rationale that led to the release of the criminal who abused or harmed them or one of their loved ones. This transparency has absolutely no downside at all.
We have witnessed an alarming trend with the current government that all too often, the rights of victims are overshadowed by the rights of offenders. That has to change in this country.
I will give a statistic. In my city of Saskatoon, crime rates, unfortunately, are climbing. From January 2025 to January 2026, violent crime in my city, unfortunately, is up by 13%, and property crimes in the city of Saskatoon are up year to year by 16.5%.
Over 10 years, the Liberal government has paid little or even no attention to victims in this country. I have gone on numerous ride-alongs with police and paramedics in my city. Each ride-along brings new experiences. There are so many repeat offenders that police know the criminals by name. They pick them up on a Monday afternoon, and they are released later in the day.
Two weeks ago, the release of a Saskatoon man with 70 prior convictions of voyeurism, indecent acts and trespassing at night sent shockwaves through a city of over 300,000. Kyle Hameluck was rearrested just hours after being released and was found to be breaching the conditions of his release.
I have received emails from constituents with grave concerns. In fact, I even had one who was victimized in my riding by Hameluck. It is understandable that she is horrified that this man was allowed out after an incredible 70 prior convictions. Victims should not have to relive their nightmares. He had 70 convictions, yet he was released, only to be found breaching the conditions of his release less than 24 hours later.
A known offender was set free to terrorize a community all over again, and it did not take him long to find new victims. Thankfully he is again behind bars, and I sincerely hope that when he is sentenced, his victims will one day be given the courtesy of knowing how his release was decided.
A truly just system protects its own citizens. Many victims are left in the dark when it comes to parole decisions. They deserve an explanation of how parole dates are determined. The amendment would benefit victims of crime by making the justice system in this country more transparent. Bill C-221 would stand up for the rights of victims to understand exactly how parole dates and eligibility are set for offenders.
I am proud to support the bill. This has been in the House previously. In fact, this is the fourth time the bill has been introduced in this place. It was introduced in the 42nd, 43rd and 44th parliaments, and now the Liberals are rumbling that they are going to include this in Bill C-16.
It is time to get this bill over the line to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to ensure that victims receive clear explanation about how an offender's eligibility and review dates are determined. The bill is just one small yet very consequential change which would demonstrate a measure of respect that victims deserve from our justice system in this country. Therefore it is my pleasure to lend my total support to my colleague and his private member's bill, Bill C-221.