Conservative and Liberal MPs sparred Thursday in the House of Commons over reforms to Canada’s bail system, as the Official Opposition emphasizes crime early in the fall sitting.
The Conservatives introduced a motion calling on the Liberal government to implement a “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” law, aimed at stopping criminals convicted of serious offences from getting bail, probation, parole or house arrest.
It comes in advance of expected Liberal legislation to tighten bail provisions. Justice Minister Sean Fraser has said criminal justice legislation will be tabled this fall.
The Conservative bill seeks bail reforms that would keep violent criminals convicted of three offences in jail for at least 10 years.
“Increasingly people feel endangered in their own communities,” said Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking in the House days after his first appearance since winning the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection.
Poilievre listed several cases of people across the country who committed severe crimes while out on release.
“Under the catch-and-release Liberal justice system, all of this happened as a direct result of Liberal laws that turn criminals loose on our streets so that they can offend, and offend and re-offend with no consequences,” he said.
2019 crime bill scrutinized
Poilievre has been pitching a three-strike rule since the election campaign.
Conservatives frequently target the previous Liberal government’s Bill C-5, which expanded the availability of conditional sentences, allowing some convicted criminals to serve time under house arrest.
But on Thursday, Poilievre homed in on the 2019 Liberal crime legislation Bill C-75, in particular the “principle of restraint” in the bill, which ensures “release at the earliest opportunity is favoured over detention” and requires “reasonable” bail conditions.
Recently, premiers and mayors have pressured the government to overhaul bail legislation.
Poilievre said he hears from police officers who are exhausted by arresting the same people over and over again.
Responding in the House of Commons, Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux guaranteed the government would introduce its own bail legislation this fall.
Lamoureux said Prime Minister Mark Carney has made a “solemn pledge” to commit to bail reform. He argued Conservatives continue to discuss crime because it’s an issue that drives fundraising, calling it a “cash cow.”
Liberal MP Kody Blois said bail reform is “extremely important” to the government.
“Our government is going to be introducing stricter bail conditions,” he said. “We’re going to be introducing stronger sentencing conditions for violent, repeat offenders.”
Blois said the Liberal approach differs on several points, including an emphasis on supporting provincial governments to ensure adequate court resources.
He also argued crime statistics cited by the Conservatives require greater context, citing a downward trend in violent crime in the Greater Toronto Area.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said three-strike laws “don’t work.”
California was the first U.S. state to enact a three-strike rule, and dozens of other states have since copied the policy in some form.
“We know that evidence-based decision-making tells us that three strikes and you’re out is a complete failure in the United States,” Anandasangaree said. “It’s been a failure in every single jurisdiction where that’s been applied.”
Bill targets intimate partner violence
Conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo also introduced a private member’s bill to reform the Criminal Code, which would create a new Criminal Code offence for assaulting an intimate partner, and make the murder of an intimate partner a first-degree crime.
“IPV [intimate partner violence] is vastly underreported despite being the most significant form of violence against women,” Caputo said. “Victims of IPV are often caught in a cycle of violence, punctuated by economic and emotional dependence.”
The party previously introduced a bill that would stop judges from considering immigration status during sentencing.
