Ottawa, ON – It’s been ten years of Liberal soft-on-crime policies and bail reform and the results are clear: communities are less safe and criminals are less afraid. Violent crime is up almost 55 per cent, homicides have increased almost 30 per cent and the number of sexual assaults has gone up over 75 per cent.
More than half of Canadians no longer feel safe in their neighbourhoods. But instead of repealing their catch-and-release laws, Carney is doubling down on the Liberal gun grab his Public Safety Minister admits won’t work.
Continuing to double down on a failed Liberal playbook that targets law-abiding Canadians instead of criminals is why gun crime has skyrocketed 130 per cent since 2015.
This summer, Canadians have witnessed the tragic consequences of this crime wave. Bailey McCourt, a young mother, was murdered in Kelowna by her ex-husband just hours after he was released on bail for assault and threats.
Across British Columbia, violent crime has increased almost 50 per cent, while the total number of sexual assaults has gone up over 95 per cent. Extortion has shot up a staggering 481 per cent across the province.
In Markham two weeks ago, a 54-year-old man was seriously injured after a violent home invasion. Despite having also kidnapped an innocent woman, Torontonians were shocked when one of the suspects was released on bail, even after another one of the accused was himself on bail during the break-in.
It was just another case of violent crime that has grown 60 per cent across Toronto and Ontario. Homicides increased by 62 per cent, and the number of sexual assaults was up 73 per cent in the city and province. Extortion in Ontario also skyrocketed 358 per cent under the Liberals.
Meanwhile, Tyrone Simard was released on bail despite being charged with assault with a weapon, only to go on a mass stabbing spree that killed his sister and injured seven others.
This tragic case was a part of a 100 per cent increase in homicides in Manitoba. Firearm crime has ballooned 198 per cent and extortion has surged an unimaginable 1,237 per cent across the province.
Conservatives offered the Liberals a real plan to tackle crime by repealing their “Principle of Restraint” and strengthening bail conditions with the Jail Not Bail Act. The Act won support from across the country, but when Liberals had the chance to make our streets safer, they voted against it.
It’s time to repeal the Liberal hug-a-thug policies that have endangered Canadians and tipped the scales of justice in favour of criminals. Only Conservatives will scrap Liberal bail, make our streets safe and deliver a justice system that puts victims’ rights first.