Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the new measures at an RCMP detachment in west-end Toronto, on Thursday.Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press
The federal government will table legislation next week to change the bail system, after months of pressure for a tougher approach to the treatment of repeat and violent offenders.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the new measures outside an RCMP detachment in west-end Toronto on Thursday, flanked by dozens of Mounties including the force’s commissioner.
The RCMP will get 1,000 additional personnel and $1.8-billion over four years in new funding in the next federal budget, Mr. Carney said.
The Liberals had promised the bail reforms, and more support for the RCMP, during the spring election campaign. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre had also made criminal justice a centrepiece of his agenda.
Premiers have been pushing the federal government to act on the issue. They and municipal leaders across the country have raised concerns that Canada’s existing bail laws contribute to street disorder and violent crime, particularly in urban areas, as repeat offenders are arrested and then quickly released to await their court dates.
“You deserve to feel safe in your community,” Mr. Carney said Thursday. “You deserve to know that your home is secure.”
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The RCMP will get 1,000 additional personnel and $1.8-billion over four years in new funding in the next federal budget, Carney said.Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press
The government is seeking to place more crimes on the list of offences subject to “reverse-onus” bail. This means the accused has to demonstrate why they should be released, as opposed to the prosecution being required to make the case as to why they should remain in custody.
It is also proposing longer sentences for organized retail theft and for repeat offences of auto theft, organized crime and home invasion, and is seeking consecutive sentencing for violent and repeat offenders.
Mr. Carney said the changes will also “reverse laws from previous governments that are simply not working,” including the existence of conditional sentences for sexual assault.
“That is not justice. Our legislation will put an end to this,” he said.
Some attempts by previous governments to implement tougher sentencing provisions have been struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada, but Mr. Carney said his proposals are the product of lengthy consultations.
“This is a package that we expect does what it’s supposed to do. It toughens the rules, punishes criminals. It will help keep us safe, but also is consistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” he said.
The severity of crimes reported to police has been increasing for about a decade, according to data published by Statistics Canada.
In July, the agency reported that 2024 was the first time there had been a decrease in crime volume and severity since the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of that was attributed to a 6-per-cent drop in non-violent crime, although violent crime was also down, by 1 per cent.
The Conservative Party introduced its own set of criminal justice changes as a private member’s bill in the House of Commons last month. That proposal includes creating a “major offences category” for the Criminal Code to which reverse-onus rules would apply, and making it mandatory for judges to consider an accused’s criminal history for all offences.
It would also tighten risk assessments for bail.
Conservative justice critic Larry Brock said the Liberals’ proposals were a pale copy of his party’s ideas and didn’t go far enough. “Halfway measures won’t end the scourge of crime and disorder in our communities,” he said in a statement.
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The proposals were well-received by many premiers across the country.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said that while he hasn’t seen all the details, his government is pleased that the proposed changes to the Criminal Code will do more to keep dangerous criminals off the streets. The government of Saskatchewan, led by Premier Scott Moe, also released a statement saying it is pleased to see the changes and looks forward to reviewing the legislation.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called the announcement encouraging, but said there is more work to do to make people feel safe, including tackling the root causes of crime.
Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette’s office said in a statement that the province welcomes the Prime Minister’s plan to toughen criminal penalties and will be reviewing the legislation once it is made public.
Quebec has long called for sentences that reflect the seriousness of the crimes, particularly with respect to sexual offences and domestic violence, the statement said. It also said house arrest should not be an option for sexual offences.
The Liberals had promised the bail reforms, and more support for the RCMP, during the spring election campaign.Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press
B.C. Attorney-General Niki Sharma said she too will be looking closely at the legislation. Her province has been pressing Ottawa for increased protections for victims of intimate partner violence, including adopting reverse-onus bail provisions for cases related to assaults involving choking, suffocating, or strangling the victim, extortion and gender-based violence.
Alberta, however, said the proposals are not sufficient to address crime. “For far too long the criminal justice system has been unable to properly protect public safety, due to Ottawa’s ineffective bail and parole legislation,” said the joint statement from the province’s Justice Minister Mickey Amery and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis.
“Today’s announcement is only one step in the right direction towards public safety but it doesn’t appear to go far enough.”
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association panned the proposals, saying that the absence of a plan to collect detailed data is a problem.
“If we have $1.8-billion for the RCMP but $0 to understand how bail operates, it’s a glaring issue,” said Shakir Rahim, director of the association’s criminal justice program.
“Cleary money’s available.”
He added that what’s included under the category of violent crimes will require scrutiny. The advocacy group also questioned the proposal of reverse-onus provisions on crimes that are in decline, such as car thefts.
The Canadian Association of Black Lawyers said it is a good sign that Mr. Carney also acknowledged addressing root causes of crime, such as precarious housing, mental health and drug addiction, rather than focusing only on enforcement. But the group is skeptical that longer prison sentences will improve public safety, given research that shows stricter punishments can lead to recidivism.
“We really need to focus on rehabilitative efforts for when someone is released,” said Theresa Donkor, a lawyer in Toronto and director of advocacy at the association.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said after the announcement that the proposed changes to the bail system, including the reverse-onus rules, are viewed positively by police.
But he added it is important to review any changes every year or two to see whether they are working.
He also said the promised 1,000 new employees is more than he’s seen in his 39-year career with the force.
“It’s very significant.”