Ottawa, ON – Yesterday, Michael Guglielmin, Conservative Member of Parliament for Vaughan—Woodbridge, introduced Private Member’s Bill C-293, the Safe at Home Act.
At a time when violent offenders are breaking into homes, threatening families and putting lives at risk, Canadians deserve to feel safe in their own homes. That is why the Safe at Home Act would create a stand-alone Criminal Code offence for violent home invasion, with serious bail and sentencing consequences.
“Canadians should be able to feel safe in their own homes,” said Guglielmin. “When someone enters your place of privacy and comfort, and threatens, assaults or terrorizes you and your family, the law should recognize that crime directly.”
Under the Criminal Code today, there is no single offence that captures the severity of a violent home invasion. Instead, offenders are charged under existing offences such as break and enter, robbery or forcible confinement. Bill C-293 would add a new distinct violent home invasion offence, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The Safe at Home Act will:
- Create a stand-alone indictable offence of violent home invasion;
- Establish a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years;
- Make violent home invasion a reverse-onus offence for bail; and
- Add the offence as a primary designated offence for DNA-order purposes.
“Home is the place where we are supposed to be the safest, where we can be in peace to raise our family and live life. Now our once-safe communities and neighbourhoods are being targeted by repeat violent offenders,” said MP Arpan Khanna, Shadow Minister for Justice and Attorney General for Canada.
Conservatives are taking concrete steps to keep Canadians safe in their homes and neighbourhoods, restore accountability and lock up violent repeat offenders through the Safe at Home Act. Canadians deserve a justice system that stands with victims and communities, not with the offenders who terrorize them.