Poilievre pitches crime crackdown, saying some communities have become 'war zones'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is pitching tough-on-crime legislation ahead of Parliament's return, saying some communities have become "war zones" and a crackdown is needed now.
The Liberal government is also promising legislation of its own this fall to tighten up a bail system that some law enforcement and victims' rights advocates say is too lenient, allowing repeat criminal offenders out into the community at the expense of public safety.
The push to curb crime comes as some data suggests crime is actually coming down after a post-pandemic spike.
According to figures compiled by Statistics Canada, the police-reported crime rate dropped by 3.6 per cent from a year earlier to 5,672 incidents per 100,000 population — although it is still higher than it was when the last Liberal government was first elected in 2015.
The drop is driven by a notable decrease in non-violent crime, such as property and drug offences, which dipped by about six per cent last year.
There was a much more modest decline — about one per cent — in the violent crime severity index, according to the federal agency.
However, the Toronto Police Service has said 2025 is already on track to be a better year than last — shootings, homicides and auto thefts are all down double digits year-over-year in Canada's biggest city.
Still, Poilievre said "crime is raging out of control," pointing to other StatsCan data that suggests the number of homicides has spiked 29 per cent over the last decade. There were 788 homicide victims nationwide last year compared to 613 in 2015.
Poilievre said his party will introduce the "Jail Not Bail Act" to respond to crime concerns. The bill's sponsor, MP Arpan Khanna, drew the number 10 position in the private member's bill lottery, which means it's likely to be debated sometime this fall. Most private member's bills fail.
The legislation, if passed, will unwind parts of the last Liberal government's Bill C-75, which introduced what's called a "principle of restraint" requiring judges release some people charged with a crime on bail at the "earliest reasonable opportunity" and with the "least onerous conditions."
Pointing to recent crimes committed by some people out on bail — a Kelowna, B.C., woman, Bailey McCourt, for example, was allegedly murdered by her ex-husband just hours after he was released on bail for assault — Poilievre said some offenders should be kept off the streets while they await trial.
To keep more people locked up for longer, Poilievre said the forthcoming legislation would mandate judges consider an accused's full criminal history when deciding whether to grant bail.
Poilievre is also pitching a new policy that would prohibit anyone convicted of an indictable offence (the most serious category of crime) from acting as a guarantor. A guarantor is someone who promises to supervise an accused person while they are out on bail.
These proposed legislative changes follow Poilievre's campaign commitment earlier this year to repeal the previous government's Bill C-5, which expanded the availability of conditional sentences and allowed some convicted criminals to serve time under house arrest, if he forms government.
He also wants to implement a "three-strikes-and-you're-out law," which would stop criminals convicted of three "serious" offences from ever getting bail, probation, parole or house arrest.
Poilievre's tough stance on bail — if ever enacted — could face resistance in the courts given some of the past precedents on the topic.
In two recent decisions, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that for most alleged crimes, release on bail at the earliest reasonable opportunity with minimal conditions is the default position.
Poilievre said he doesn't see a need to invoke the notwithstanding clause to Charter-proof his proposals.
"We're the only party that stands up for the Charter rights of victims while the Liberals stand up for the Charter rights of criminals," he said.
After Poilievre proposed changing self-defence laws in Canada last month — Canadians already have the right to defend themselves but Poilievre wants certain conditions to be more explicit — Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the Conservative leader is intent on running Canada like "the Wild West."
It's a quip Poilievre pounced on Thursday saying, for some communities, "it's not a Wild West. It's a war zone."
Fraser said Thursday that the Liberals are aiming to table their bail reform bill sometime next month, in keeping with a campaign promise to make it more difficult to get bail for offences including car thefts involving violence or organized crime, home invasions and some human-trafficking and smuggling offences.
The justice minister called on Poilievre and the Conservatives to work constructively to see bail and other criminal justice reforms passed.
"If they are willing to work alongside us to advance reforms and help keep communities safe — without necessarily aiming solely to gin up dissent for a political purpose — then we'd be more than happy to work alongside them," Fraser told reporters at the Liberal caucus retreat in Edmonton.
In addition to the bail reform bill, Fraser said the government will introduce stricter laws to address hate crimes and sex crimes.
cbc.ca
