“I like this bill. It tries to protect women. It changes some rules. I want the other member to agree with me.”
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.
“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.”
“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!”
“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 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 this bill to pass. It does many good things. It adds a new crime, coercive behaviour. It makes killing a woman first-degree murder. Those are good changes. We should focus on how good this bill is, not other complaints.”
“I want to look like I care. I met some victims once so that makes me an expert. This bill will give government and police more power to punish people. It will make the court process longer and more complex. We will spend more money. Children need to be kept safe.”
“I want to pass laws that don't get thrown out in court. We might feel strongly but we can't just write a law based on that. It has to be careful and legal too.”
“I don't care what that group thinks. Our bill will do what we want. That's all that matters.”
“I want to flatter my colleague so she praises our legislation and makes us look good.”
“I want to make sure women think we're helping them so they'll keep voting for us.”
“Mandatory minimums sounded good to me at first. But they get thrown out because of the Charter. We can't just use our heart on our sleeve -- we need more. Our responsibility is serious here.”
“The old law had problems. The court said it wasn't allowed. We're fixing it. We'll make a rule saying what happens if it's still no good. Conservatives just want to overrule the court over and over. That's not a solution. Our way is better.”
“I want mandatory minimums. I'm claiming it's to prevent litigation but I won't say how that follows.”