Reform bail and detention
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to reform bail so dangerous repeat offenders remain detained, create offences/reporting and weapons limits for recidivists, and require detention after three indictable charges. The government responds that Bill C-14 would tighten bail and sentencing, add reverse onuses, weapons bans and tougher consecutive sentences for repeat and violent offences.
Why we would sign this petition
- Keeps dangerous repeat offenders out of communities, which petitioners argue would increase public safety and residents’ sense of security.
- Creates legal tools—new offences, reporting duties and weapons limits—to hold recidivists accountable and restrict their access to weapons.
- Mandatory detention after multiple indictable charges could deter repeat offending and reassure neighbourhoods affected by crime.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Stricter bail and mandatory detention risk undermining the presumption of innocence and increase pre-trial detention of accused persons.
- New offences, reporting duties and reverse onuses could disproportionately affect marginalized groups and expand incarceration without addressing causes of crime.
- Tougher laws may strain courts and correctional resources and could overlook alternatives like prevention, support services or provincial measures.
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: Residents of Fairhaven, Meadowgreen, Parkridge, and Confederation in Saskatoon, and all of Saskatoon, have faced significant challenges as crime, chaos, and disorder take over the neighborhoods. Violent crime is up 10% in 2024 in Saskatoon with an increase of assaults, murders, and robberies. Saskatoon has had 14 homicides in 2024, an almost 15% increase over the number of murders committed in 2023. Saskatoon residents feel unsafe in their homes and on the streets. WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, residents of Saskatoon West, CALL UPON THE Government of Canada to: 1. Reform the 'catch-and-release' bail system to prevent dangerous, repeat, and violent offenders from serving their sentences in their community. 2. Establish new indictable offences, reporting obligations, and limitations on weapons possession for previous offenders who break conditions or are unlawfully at large on a release order. 3. Pass legislation in which an accused charged more than twice with certain indictable offences must be detained in custody while subject to summons, appearance notice, or release order.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Signed by THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY PATRICIA LATTANZIO Everyone deserves to live in a society where they are safe and feel safe, and to have confidence that the criminal justice system will protect them and work as intended. On October 23, 2025, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, to make bail laws stricter and sentencing laws tougher to address repeat and violent offending. The proposed 80 sweeping reforms are the product of extensive collaboration with the provinces and territories and would deliver on the Government’s commitment to urgently advance legislative reforms that help to strengthen public safety and promote confidence in the criminal justice system. Bill C-14 would make bail stricter and harder to get, including in cases of repeat and violent offending. Among other things, it would create new reverse onuses at bail – meaning that an accused must be detained unless they can demonstrate why they should be released on bail – for violent and organized crime-related auto theft, break and enter of a home, trafficking in persons, human smuggling, extortion involving violence, as well as assault and sexual assault involving choking, suffocating, or strangulation. Moreover, the proposed amendments in Bill C-14 would direct police and courts to not release an accused person when detention is needed for public safety reasons, including to protect victims or witnesses. Courts would also be required to impose weapons prohibitions at bail for those accused of extortion and organized crime, unless it is not required for public safety reasons. Bill C-14 also clarifies that the “principle of restraint” does notmandate automatic release at bail hearings. Bill C-14 would toughen sentencing laws for repeat, serious, and violent crimes. For example, the proposed amendments would require consecutive sentences – meaning that an offender would serve one sentence after another, instead of serving sentences for multiple offences at the same time – for violent auto theft and break and enter, and extortion and arson. The legislation would also allow consecutive sentences for repeat and violent offending and end conditional sentences (also known as house arrest) for serious sexual offences, including those against children. New aggravating factors at sentencing would also apply to crimes against first responders, retail theft, and theft or mischief that harms essential infrastructure. Bill C-14is the latest in a series of initiatives to strengthen community safety and Canada’s justice system. In the coming months, the Government of Canada will bring forward further changes to strengthen victims’ rights, better protect people facing sexual and intimate partner violence, address court delays, and keep children safe from crimes. All orders of government have an important role to play in ensuring that our criminal justice system is functioning as intended. Canada’s criminal justice system is the joint responsibility of federal, provincial and territorial governments. At the October 2025 meeting of federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) ministers of Justice and Public safety, ministers agreed to continue advancing actions in the areas of bail reform and sentencing, among others, to support safer communities, hold offenders accountable, and strengthen the effectiveness of and public confidence in the criminal justice system. FPT governments continue to work in collaboration on these issues.