Criminal Code  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-39, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (unconstitutional provisions) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I take incredibly seriously the opportunity that I have to appoint superior court justices across the country. I am proud of the appointments I have made thus far, and I am very proud of the renewed judicial appointments process, including the judicial advisory counc

Justice  Mr. Speaker, first of all, as the member opposite said, I had the great pleasure of sitting down with Mrs. Wynn. I want to reiterate in this House an acknowledgement and great empathy for the loss that she has suffered. We spoke about what I am committed to doing in terms of mode

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge my hon. colleague across the way in his new role as critic. I look forward to working with him on these important matters as we seek to maintain the confidence the Canadian public has in the justice system. I am committed to continuing to

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the hon. member across the way, and I think, without equivocation, all members of the House recognize and acknowledge that sexual assault and gender-based violence is wrong and we have to do everything we can to prevent it. I also rec

Justice  Mr. Speaker, certainly, our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We recognize that these were heinous crimes, that they need to be prevented, and public safety is paramount. The Criminal Code currently has the strongest penalty for murder, which is life imprisonment, and j

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I agree that there is a necessity to ensure that we have confidence in our justice system. With respect to victims of sexual assault or victims of gender-based violence, they need to be treated with respect and dignity at all stages. I recognize that the hon. membe

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to answer this question, and want to emphasize that egregious, heinous crimes are wrong and should be punished. In terms of the Criminal Code, it already imposes the highest mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for murder, and judges have the ability t

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question because it gives me the opportunity to speak to Bill C-38, which we introduced. Our government is committed to combatting human trafficking and better protecting victims of these crimes. We are going to ensure that this bill moves forward as

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I take it incredibly seriously in my job to appoint judges in this country, and to ensure that the complement of judges who sit on the superior courts reflect the diversity of our country and are responsive to the individual diversity that exists across it. That is w

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to stand up in this House to mention the 39 superior court justices I have appointed as well as 22 deputy judges across the country. To confirm and reiterate, we have introduced a new appointments process. We will continue to be diligent in the appointme

Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to thank the hon. member across the way for his tireless efforts in terms of getting us to this place where I was proud, based on his work and the work of many before him, to introduce Bill C-16. I am following this piece of legislation. I think i

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I again rise to speak about the comprehensive review of the criminal justice system that we are undertaking. I am very proud of the judicial appointments I have made, and will continue to make, under a reconstituted judicial appointments process to ensure that we app

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise to talk about the judicial appointments we have made and to further emphasize and look forward to the judicial appointments we will continue to make. I am pleased to have introduced a reconstituted judicial appointments process and reconstituted j

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand up to once again say that we are conducting a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, including sentencing reform, which includes mandatory minimum penalties. We are not opposed to mandatory minimum penalties for the most serious of