Replace bail laws
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to replace bail laws to keep streets safe by restricting release of repeat and violent offenders. The government responds that it enacted Bill C-48, is pursuing tougher bail and sentencing reforms, and is coordinating federal-provincial measures and funding.
Why we would sign this petition
- Keeps high-risk offenders detained pre-trial, which could reduce repeat violent crimes and improve street safety.
- Tightened bail rules could restore police and public confidence by limiting quick releases identified in the petition.
- Gives courts clearer authority to refuse bail for repeat, violent or organized-crime suspects, targeting cases the petition highlights.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Stricter bail laws may increase pre-trial detention, challenging the presumption of innocence and imposing personal costs on accused who may be acquitted.
- Replacing federal bail laws could be legally and logistically complex because criminal justice responsibilities are shared with provinces and territories.
- Tightening bail alone may not address underlying causes cited in the petition (drug, gang activity) and could divert attention from prevention and community supports.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada WHEREAS Crime is out of control; Dangerous repeat offenders are quickly put back into our communities under catch and release policies of Bill C-75; Car thefts, violence, drug deaths and gang crime are up; Violent crime has increased by 50%; Violent gun crime has increased by 116%; 256 people were killed in 2022 by a criminal who was out on bail; Police are left powerless. THEREFORE We, the undersigned citizens and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to replace current bail laws to maintain safety on our streets.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY PATRICIA LATTANZIO Everyone deserves to live in a society where they feel safe and have confidence that the criminal justice system will protect them and work as it is intended. In 2022, the Government announced new support through the $250 million Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF) to assist municipalities and Indigenous communities prevent gun and gang violence by tackling root causes. In Spring 2023, the Government announced $390 million over five years to provinces and territories under the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund to help stop gun crime and gang violence before it starts, bringing our global total to over $640 Million from 2022-2028. The Government is also providing a $54,727,173 allocation to British Columbia to support a variety of initiatives, including for prevention programs and law enforcement. This funding builds on the success of the initial Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence, announced in 2017 through which provinces and territories received $215 million in funding. In 2023, the Government introduced Bill C-48, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bail reform), which came into force on January 4, 2024. Bill C-48 enacted changes to the Criminal Code’s bail provisions to address repeat, violent offending with weapons and intimate partner violence. The Government of Canada will continue to work closely with our provincial and territorial partners to ensure that Bill C-48 is meeting its objectives, and to identify ways to further strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to repeat and violent offending more broadly. Our government agrees that more can be done to address concerns about repeat offending and violent crime. That is why we have committed to pursuing further Criminal Code reform to toughen sentencing laws for repeat offenders and to make bail more onerous to obtain for those charged with violent and organized crime-related auto theft, home invasion, human trafficking and human smuggling. All levels of government play an important role in ensuring that our bail functions as intended. Responsibility for Canada’s bail system is shared among federal, provincial and territorial governments and our government is committed to continuing to work collaboratively with our provincial and territorial partners on this issue. At the First Ministers meeting on June 2, 2025, First Ministers emphasized the importance of joint efforts of keeping communities safe across Canada and directed federal-provincial-territorial Attorneys General and Ministers of Justice and Public Safety to bring forward an action plan. This work is currently underway through ongoing intergovernmental collaboration.