David Lametti

[Justice, February 9th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to be safe and they deserve to feel safe. The laws on bail that we currently have are clear. If one poses a threat to society, he or she should not be out on bail.

I have met with provincial counterparts and have begun the process of discussing this with them. Indeed, this morning, the Minister of Public Safety and I met with the national leadership of police associations, including Chief Carrique, in order to get their suggestions for moving forward.

We all agree that it is a complex issue. It will require a number of different responses. We are working together.

[Justice, February 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, no other government in Canada's history has provided as many resources as we have to help victims. Serious crimes deserve serious consequences. That is the spirit behind our amendments to the Criminal Code.

We stand with victims. We are overhauling the system so it is more flexible, welcoming and supportive for victims, and we will succeed.

[Justice, February 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member will surely know from his experience, what Bill C-75 did was codify Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence and it tightened bail provisions by adding a reverse onus for intimate partner violence. There was already a reverse onus on prohibited weapons.

Notwithstanding that, we are willing to work with the provinces to see if there are additional measures we can take. Certainly, we will help the provinces in the administration of the bail—

[Justice, February 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge the hon. member's previous service, but I would suggest he go back to the classroom.

As the hon. member will know, what Bill—

[Justice, February 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to feel safe and they deserve to be safe.

The laws on bail are clear. If somebody poses a threat to public safety, he or she should not be out on bail. I have undertaken with the provinces and territories to look at what we can do at the federal level with respect to bail. Our priority remains keeping Canadians safe. We will move with the provinces together on not just changing the law but also administering the bail system in a better way.

[Justice, February 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, serious crimes deserve serious consequences. That is the reason why we are scrapping the Harper government's “tough on crime” agenda, which was an utter failure.

What we are doing is properly allocating resources to serious crimes and not wasting judicial and police resources on less serious crimes. We are improving the justice system and we will continue to do so.

[Justice, February 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we have invested more than any other government in Canadian history to protect victims and ensure that they are heard by our justice system.

As for the bail system, no one should be released if they pose a threat to Canadian society. That is what we are working on. We are open to working with the provinces and territories to fine-tune the system and to support them in the administration of the system.

[Justice, February 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, our bail system creates a number of different balances based on charter rights that individuals have and based on the presumption of innocence until being found guilty, and it primarily makes sure that Canadians are safe.

Nobody out on bail should pose a threat to the security of Canadians. That is, in fact, what the law is. There are a number of reverse onuses in effect already in that law.

We are willing to look at other measures within the law, and we are working with the provinces and territories in that regard. We will continue to make sure that we keep Canadians safe.

[Justice, February 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to feel safe and they deserve to be safe. Bail reform has been on our radar screen since, at the very least, the meeting with provincial ministers of justice in late October. We committed at that point to looking at what we could do at the federal level to reform our bail laws, but also to looking at how we could better support the provinces in the administration of the bail regime that currently exists. We are committed to that and will continue to work in that direction.

[Justice, February 2nd, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, grazie to my colleague from Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel for her question and her leadership. It is indeed a very complex issue. That is why we have listened to the experts, the members of the medical community and the citizens who asked for more time to develop clear standards.

Canada has developed medical assistance in dying legislation that supports autonomy and freedom of choice while protecting the vulnerable. We will continue in that direction and we will do it right.