Reform bail and detention
Petitioners ask the Government to reform bail to prevent dangerous repeat violent offenders' release, create indictable offences, reporting duties and weapons limits for offenders unlawfully at large, and require detention after two specified indictable charges. The government responds it introduced Bill C-14 and companion bills to strengthen bail, sentencing and victims' protections.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would reduce the chance that dangerous repeat or violent offenders return to communities and improve street and home safety.
- New offences, reporting duties and weapons limits provide legal tools to hold offenders who violate conditions accountable and to better protect victims and witnesses.
- Mandatory detention after multiple indictable charges would lower the risk of further offences and could increase public confidence in the justice system.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Detaining people before trial can conflict with the presumption of innocence and risks longer pretrial incarceration for accused who are later acquitted.
- Creating new offences and stricter release rules may expand incarceration without addressing underlying causes of crime or providing effective rehabilitation.
- Tougher rules could strain court and correctional capacity and risk disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities unless paired with broader 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: 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 that is safe and where the criminal justice system protects them and functions as intended. The Government knows that bail and sentencing are issues that are top-of-mind for many people in Canada, along with calls to make bail laws stricter and sentencing laws tougher to address repeat and violent offending. That is why, on October 23, 2025, the Government introduced Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, which is the result of extensive collaboration between the federal government, provinces and territories, and law enforcement partners. The Bill would deliver on the Government’s commitment to urgently advance legislative reforms that strengthen public safety and promote confidence in the criminal justice system. To establish a stricter bail system, Bill C-14 would create new reverse onuses at 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. Additionally, Bill C-14 would direct police and courts to not release an accused person when detention is needed for public safety reasons, including protecting victims or witnesses. Courts would also be required to impose weapons prohibitions at bail for those accused of extortion and organized crime, unless such prohibitions are not required for public safety reasons. Bill C-14 would also 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 permit 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. The Government is also advancing legislative reforms to better protect victims. On December 9, 2025, the Government introduced Bill C-16, The Protecting Victims Act, to strengthen victims’ rights, better protect survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence, address court delays, and keep children safe from crime. These reforms represent one of the most consequential updates in generations to protect victims and survivors of sexual violence, gender-based violence, and intimate partner violence, and to keep our kids safe from predators. In addition to the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act and the Protecting Victims Act, the government has introduced Bill C-22, An Act Respecting Lawful Access Act. Informed by extensive consultations, the Bill would strengthen Canada’s laws and support law enforcement with new tools to investigate serious threats, disrupt organized crime, and protect our communities. Taken together, these measures represent a clear and firm commitment to support safer communities, hold offenders accountable, and strengthen public confidence in the criminal justice system.