Bail Reform
Whereas:
- Violent crime in Canada has increased 50% since 2015, according to Statistics Canada, including a 116% increase in gun crimes during the same period, with repeat violent offenders increasingly being released back into the community on bail;
- Police chiefs from across the country, including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, have called for urgent reforms to Canada’s bail system, specifically citing the need to better protect the public from high-risk, repeat violent offenders;
- In 2022 alone, over 170 Canadian police officers were assaulted with a weapon while on duty — a record high — and several officers have been killed in recent years by individuals who were out on bail at the time of the offence;
- The revolving-door justice system, enabled by changes to the Criminal Code through Bills C-5 and C-75, has made it easier for serious repeat offenders, including those charged with gun crimes, sexual assault, and other violent offences, to obtain bail quickly;
- Provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario have all called on the federal government to take action to reform bail provisions, with many municipalities also joining in the demand for stronger public safety protections;
- Victims and law-abiding Canadians deserve a justice system that prioritizes public safety, not political ideology, and one that stops enabling repeat offenders to harm our communities.
Therefore, we undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Federal Government to:
- Amend Canada’s Criminal Code to make bail more restrictive for repeat violent offenders, particularly those charged with firearms offences, intimate partner violence, and serious violent crimes;
- Repeal Bill C-5 which eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for serious violent crimes;
- Repeal the so-called principle of restraint enacted by Bill C-75 which requires judges to release accused offenders “at the earliest possible opportunity” under the “least onerous conditions”;
- Support law enforcement and victims’ rights advocates by ensuring the justice system puts public safety first and provides real consequences for violent repeat offenders;
- Work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous communities to ensure consistent and effective bail policies that protect all Canadians regardless of jurisdiction.
Let’s stop the revolving door. It’s time for bail reform now.
