“I want to look like I care about women and children by saying the government isn't doing enough. I'll keep asking for more money and programs, but I'm really just talking. I won't actually fix anything.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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A bill to make many changes to criminal law, mostly on gender and child protection. During debate, some criticized bits of the bill while others told personal stories. Many still voted for most or all of it in the end despite reservations.
“I like this bill. It tries to protect women. It changes some rules. I want the other member to agree with me.”
“This bill won't stop the cause of violence. It only reacts after violence happens. I want more money spent preventing violence in my riding. The government should spend lots more money to show it cares.”
“Thank you for saying nice things about me. We agree on many points. Services should be part of a bigger plan to deal with violence against women. Women's money problems make them more likely to get stuck in violence. You say homelessness is rising among women, especially indigenous women. I agree we should look at the 230 recommendations from the inquiry.”
“You say you support the inquiry's recommendations. But you haven't done them. A basic income was one. You've only done three things from the whole list. Do more of those if you really want to help.”
“I want voters to see me doing the right thing. I'm giving my colleague more time to talk.”
“I don't like the government's priorities. They should listen to women's groups instead of supporting big tech companies. The minister responsible hasn't done enough to address concerns about AI.”
“We have to pass this bill. It's very important. It will protect victims and keep them safe. It's a very long and comprehensive bill with lots of measures. Let's hurry up and pass it already. I want to thank everyone for their hard work on this. There were lots of witnesses and briefs. Everyone agrees we need to do something. Women are dying all the time. We need to protect them and our children too. Our laws need to keep up with new threats. Mandatory minimums are very important. So are delays. Our partners in law enforcement want this too. Victims need more rights. A woman is killed every 48 hours. Children are targeted online. We can't wait any longer. The cost is measured in lives. The bill has a lot of support. Let's just pass it now.”
“I want to ask my colleague about the Barreau du Quebec's concerns. They like the principles in the bill but think it's too complicated. They say putting so many measures together could make it hard to analyze and apply them. What does my colleague think of that?”
“It doesn't matter what the Barreau du Quebec says. Our government has to hurry up and pass this bill. We can't wait to update the law. People's lives are at stake!”
“I agree. But what will happen to the Gladue principle under this bill? Will it stay or will it go?”
“The Supreme Court is in charge, not us. This bill won't override them.”
“I want the minister to say nice things about our bill and our crime policies. It makes us look good when we talk about security, bail reform, and protecting women.”
“I want Canadians to think we're doing a lot on crime. I list many bills to make it seem like we're making big changes. I will note the problems are provincial too so we can spread the blame if it goes wrong.”
“I want to talk a lot about the good things we added to this criminal law bill. Then I want to complain about the one part that makes all the minimum penalties optional. Judges shouldn't be able to go below the minimum just because they think it's a special case. That weakens everything. Conservatives tried to limit the worst parts but the government said no to all of it. Mandatory should mean mandatory, so I'm moving to delete the part that makes them all optional.”
“I don't know what I'm doing. I didn't pay attention to what the other guy said.”
“I want to correct the record. The Conservatives are fearmongering. Bill C-16 has minimum penalties. Senneville only said some minimums could violate the Charter. Our bill fills gaps the court asked about. I want safe and effective laws.”
“I want to look good by saying I did my job. The secretary didn't. She's wrong about everything. The bill lets judges ignore all minimum penalties except for murder or treason. A judge could give only one day in jail instead of a one-year mandatory minimum. And the government is okay with that. That's bad.”
“I'm filling time by talking about a rejected amendment. I want the other guy to say if he agrees there's a problem. The bill changes the rules for harassment. Peace bonds didn't change. I think that's inconsistent.”
“You're right, the government missed a chance to change the rules for peace bonds in this bill. Section 810 peace bonds don't work well. That can be dangerous for women. The Liberals say they're tough on crime but this bill proves they don't do enough.”