Adjournment Proceedings

An adjournment debate on crime and bail, centred on the government’s Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, which tightens bail rules and sentencing for repeat and violent offenders. Arpan Khanna of the Conservatives said the government is releasing dangerous repeat offenders on easy bail, citing a case involving a person with 274 prior convictions, and criticized government advertising on public safety, asking how many of the promised 1,000 new RCMP officers have been hired. Mike Kelloway of the Liberals replied that the bill targets repeat violent offenders with stricter bail and tougher sentences, and pointed to the hiring of 1,000 new RCMP officers and $1.3 billion for border security to stop illegal drugs. The debate opened with Khanna recognizing harvest-time farmers in his riding.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

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2 statements

Arpan Khanna, Oxford

Conservative
“I want to thank the farmers in my riding. The Liberal government is failing to keep Canadians safe. Dangerous and repeat criminals keep getting let out on bail, sometimes for almost no money. Instead of fixing this broken justice system, the government is spending millions of dollars on ads telling people they are safe.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I want to start off by recognizing the great farmers in Oxford county who are busy bringing home the harvest. Behind every field, there is a family working around the clock, sacrificing it all, fighting the elements and fighting economic pressures, but they still have hopes that this year they will bring back a strong harvest for Canadians. I want to thank our farmers, who feed our families every single day. The Liberals often talk about public safety. It took a lot to get there. First, they denied the problem existed and that crime was happening in our community, but it was under Conservative pressure that they finally started acting, or tried to act. Here are some of the headlines we are hearing. Drones are delivering McDonald’s McNuggets and alcohol to Canada’s most secure prison. Corrections Canada is planning to distribute paper straws to inmates for safer snorting. A convicted B.C. child killer was granted leave to take cooking classes. A convicted murderer who killed his pregnant girlfriend was granted escorted leave for a carpentry apprenticeship. A convicted murderer on day parole is attending McGill law school, raising safety concerns for students. A B.C. offender with 274 convictions is out on bail once again. Fifteen offenders in Kelowna are generating over 1,300 police files in a single year. One of those offenders had 423 police files and 66 convictions and was out on bail. Twelve offenders in Chilliwack are accounting for up to 60% of local crime, with one offender having 350 police files and 12 convictions and another having 331 files and 58 convictions. Three GTA auto theft suspects already out on bail were arrested in a ring linked to more than 75 stolen vehicles, with over 90 charges. Here is a crazy one. A man accused of shootings at a London cannabis shop and a Scarborough movie theatre was granted bail. Guess for how much. It was one penny. We do not even make pennies anymore, yet under the Liberal government, serious offenders are being released on bail for a penny. The Liberals are running ads that tell Canadians not to worry because they are all safe, that they should trust them. That is what they are spending millions of dollars on, but what they are not doing is keeping Canadians safe. They are failing at that. I can tell members that Canadians do not feel safe in their own homes anymore. I just gave real headlines in the media that come up every single day, so how can the Liberals stand up, look Canadians in the eye, look victims in the eye and tell them their Liberal justice system is working?

Arpan Khanna, Oxford

Conservative
“The government's bail rules do not fix the problem. They still let people accused of crimes out as early as possible with the fewest rules, including someone who had 274 past convictions. The government also promised to hire 1,000 new police officers. I want the member to tell us how many of those officers have actually been hired today.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals’ solutions are band-aid solutions. They are not fixing the problem. I just gave recent headlines as examples since their measures have taken effect. A person with 274 convictions was released on bail. I want to send a clear message to Canadians. The crime they are seeing in their communities is not normal. We cannot accept the chaos that is happening on our streets. The Liberals talked about bail. They still believe in the principle of restraint. That means releasing an accused at the earliest opportunity on the least restrictive conditions. That is still part of the Liberal law. The member talks about these big promises of hiring 1,000 new officers. We have heard that I do not know how many times, yet there have never been any results. It is all talk, no results. Will the member stand up and tell us how many of those police officers have actually been hired as of today?

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