Translate Politics Parliament in plain language.

Justice

During question period on justice, members debated bail and intimate partner violence. Conservatives pointed to a Kelowna case in which a man allegedly choked his partner, was released on bail, allegedly attacked her again within thirty minutes, and was released again, saying the government’s bail changes did not go far enough, citing other cases of dangerous offenders getting bail or lenient treatment, and asked the government to keep repeat and violent offenders in custody; Frank Caputo also raised the murder of Bailey McCourt and his own bill on intimate partner violence. Liberal ministers replied that the government passed the Protecting Victims Act, Bill C-16, and bail reform legislation that took effect in July, including provisions on intimate partner violence involving strangulation added on the advice of British Columbia, said the Criminal Code changes toughen sentences and restrict bail for repeat offenders, and said it is now up to the provinces to enforce the new laws and provide funding. Sean Fraser noted he had worked with Caputo across party lines to rewrite the private member’s bill on Bailey McCourt’s case, while saying that cross-party teamwork has since ended.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

8 statements

Arpan Khanna

Conservative

Linked statement

“The Liberal bail system does not protect women from abuse. Men who attack their partners keep getting released on bail right away, and partner violence is up 40%. The government needs to fix this broken system and put women's safety first.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, in Kelowna, a man violently chokes his wife. He is arrested. He is released on bail. Thirty minutes later, he shows up again. He assaults her again. He chokes her again. He is arrested again. Under the Liberal laws, guess what: He is released on bail again. The Liberals promised they would fix the broken bail system, but nothing has changed. Under their watch, intimate partner violence is up 40%. How many times must a woman be attacked before the Liberals put her safety first?

View on ourcommons.ca Grade A+ View analysis

Ruby Sahota

Liberal
“We passed laws to protect victims and reform bail to stop violent incidents. These laws took effect in July. Now the provinces need to enforce them.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 100 of 100

    Of this answer, 100% addressed the question that was asked.

    See full analysis
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, because we are so concerned about incidents such as this, we put forward the Protecting Victims Act in Bill C-16, and we put forward the bail reform legislation. It all passed in June. Those laws have been implemented starting July 15, but it is the job of the provinces to make sure they are applying these pieces of legislation. The changes have gone into effect in the code. It is time for the provinces to catch up.

View on ourcommons.ca Grade A+ View analysis

Arpan Khanna

Conservative
“The Liberal justice system is too soft on criminals. Dangerous offenders get bail, take classes, and have drugs and guns flown into prisons. I want the government to put criminals in jail and protect Canadians.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the criminals are laughing at the Liberal justice system, and the victims are the ones paying the price. A guy with 274 convictions gets bail. Convicted child killers and rapists are attending cooking classes and law school. McDonald’s, booze, drugs and illegal guns are being delivered by drones into our maximum-security prisons. It sounds insane but that is the sad reality under the Liberal government. Will the Liberals put the criminals behind bars and stop putting Canadian lives at risk?

View on ourcommons.ca Grade B View analysis

Ruby Sahota

Liberal
“We made our criminal laws tougher, increased sentences, and made bail harder for repeat offenders. Now the provinces need to enforce these changes.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 100 of 100

    Of this answer, 100% addressed the question that was asked.

    See full analysis
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is responsible for the Criminal Code of Canada. We have made an unprecedented number of changes to stiffen our laws, to make sure criminals will serve longer sentences and so repeat offenders do not get bail, but it is the job of the provinces to apply these new changes. I hope the provinces will catch up.

View on ourcommons.ca Grade A+ View analysis

Frank Caputo

Conservative
“The government's bail changes did not go far enough. A man in Kelowna was released on bail after choking his partner, attacked her again within 30 minutes, and was released on bail a second time. The government must admit its bail rules are not working and fix them to protect victims.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals constantly boast about how they fixed bail in their eyes. We as Conservatives warned them that they did not go far enough. Recently in Kelowna, a man was accused of assaulting and choking his intimate partner. He was released on bail. Within 30 minutes, he is alleged to have been back at her house, again choking her, and now breaching a no-contact order. He was again released on bail. People expect the government to protect the most vulnerable. Will the Liberals admit that their bail changes did not go far enough, and commit to acting?

View on ourcommons.ca Grade A View analysis

Sean Fraser

Liberal
“We added rules to this bill to address partner violence involving strangulation, because it leads to more violence later. We have acted, and now the provinces must fund and enforce these laws.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 44 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

    See full analysis
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, if my hon. colleague had actually read the legislation that we put forward, he would know that, on the advice of the provincial government in British Columbia, we added specific provisions to address cases of intimate partner violence that involve strangulation, because we know and accept that it is predictive of future violence. When we adapt these laws, we expect provinces to put them into action by appropriately resourcing the system and those who are appointed to make decisions to put these rules into force. Tragic circumstances such as these can motivate change. We have taken action, and we are looking forward to seeing the changes implemented by the people within positions—

View on ourcommons.ca Grade B– View analysis

Frank Caputo

Conservative
“We must protect vulnerable people. Bailey McCourt was murdered three hours after her abuser left court. The Liberals should have passed our bill to make bail much harder to get. The government needs to admit it has a problem and fix it now.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice asked whether I bothered to read his bill. Did he bother to read my bill on the intimate partner violence that happened to Bailey McCourt? I will let the House know that this offence occurred in Kelowna. Do members know what else occurred in Kelowna? The murder of Bailey McCourt, who was killed three hours after her abuser left the courthouse after conviction. It is our job as parliamentarians to protect the most vulnerable. The Liberals should have passed our jail not bail act, which was exponentially harder on bail. Will the Liberals admit they have a problem on their hands and they need to fix it now?

View on ourcommons.ca Grade A+ View analysis

Sean Fraser

Liberal
“I have read this bill. The member and I worked together across party lines to rewrite it. We worked with Bailey McCourt's family to protect future victims of partner violence. I liked how we worked together, and it is a shame that teamwork has ended.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the member questions whether I read his bill. He should know very well that I have, because we worked together across partisan lines to rewrite that bill. He should know that we worked together with family members in the tragic circumstances of Bailey McCourt’s murder to ensure that she did not die in vain, and to change the law in this country to protect future victims of intimate partner violence and murder against harms we know are preventable. I appreciated the member’s non-partisan spirit of collaboration. It is a shame that it seems to have come to an end.

View on ourcommons.ca Grade B+ View analysis

Discussion

No comments yet

See the full discussion

Comment rules

More from sitting 158

All 44 items ·
  1. Government Orders Safe Social Media Act 38 statements
  2. Government Orders Safe Social Media Act 81 statements
  3. Oral Questions International Trade 18 statements
  4. Oral Questions Finance 14 statements
  5. Oral Questions Justice 8 statements
  6. Oral Questions Public Safety 2 statements
  7. Oral Questions International Trade 2 statements
  8. Oral Questions Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship 8 statements
  9. Oral Questions Government Appointments 5 statements
  10. Oral Questions Steel and Aluminum Industry 7 statements
  11. Oral Questions The Economy 2 statements
  12. Oral Questions Fisheries and Oceans 2 statements
  13. Oral Questions Taxation 2 statements
  14. Oral Questions The Environment 2 statements
  15. Oral Questions Finance 2 statements
  16. Oral Questions Business of the House 2 statements
  17. Government Orders Safe Social Media Act 23 statements
  18. Oral Questions The Economy 2 statements
  19. Government Orders Safe Social Media Act 42 statements
  20. Oral Questions Intergovernmental Relations 4 statements
  21. Oral Questions Public Safety 2 statements
  22. Oral Questions Families, Children and Social Development 2 statements
  23. Private Members' Business National Strategy for Soil Health Act 16 statements
  24. Adjournment Proceedings Adjournment Proceedings 4 statements
  25. Adjournment Proceedings Adjournment Proceedings 4 statements
  26. Adjournment Proceedings Adjournment Proceedings 4 statements