Stand on Guard
Protect your home. Protect your family. Protect yourself.
Brampton, ON – Today, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced the ‘Stand on Guard’ principle: a proposed amendment to the Criminal Code that would ensure Canadians won’t be thrown in jail for simply defending their homes, their families and themselves. Conservatives are calling on the government to introduce a bill enacting this principle this fall, failing which one of the party’s Members of Parliament will do so in a private member’s bill.
The amendment to section 34(2) would deem the use of force to be presumed reasonable when used against an individual who unlawfully enters a house and poses a threat to the safety of anyone inside.
“Your home. Your family. Your life.” said Poilievre. “If someone breaks into your home and puts your family at risk, you shouldn’t be forced to worry about being thrown in jail for doing what you must to protect their lives.”
Under Section 34 of the Criminal Code, Canadians have the right to use force to defend themselves and others from threats of force. But the law is vague and subjective. Too often, ordinary Canadians face years of expensive trials while violent repeat offenders walk free on easy bail because of Liberal laws C-5 and C-75.
Back in 2019, three masked intruders – one armed with a sawed-off shotgun – broke into a residence in Collingwood, Ontario. Cameron Gardiner and his girlfriend were zip-tied as the burglars searched the townhouse.
Eventually breaking free, two of the attackers were shot as Gardiner wrestled for control of the weapon. But when the cops came, Gardiner was the one arrested – ultimately spending six months in jail before the charges were dropped.
This was yet another case of the Liberals’ two-tier justice system: where monsters get sympathy and endless second chances, while Canadians defending their families are treated like criminals. Across Canada, families are being forced to live in fear: fear of crime, fear of break-ins and fear of being punished for defending themselves.
Conservatives will change the law so Canadians can act with certainty when their loved ones are put in danger. Our amendment:
- Protects the Innocent. If a violent intruder breaks into your home and threatens your family, the law will finally be on your side – not theirs.
- Presumes Reasonableness. Force used to stop a home invader who poses a threat will be deemed reasonable; there will be no more second-guessing after the fact.
- Ends Legal Limbo. Canadians defending themselves should not spend years in court while criminals walk free. This law gives clarity to citizens, police and prosecutors.
Canadians deserve leadership that will stand on guard for their safety, not criminals’. Conservatives will always put law-abiding families before repeat offenders and fix the broken justice system that leaves Canadians unsafe in their homes. The government must join us in passing this common sense amendment.
“Your home is your haven. Your family is your responsibility. And your right to defend both is fundamental. Conservatives will make sure the law is finally on your side, so you can stand on guard without fear of punishment,” said Poilievre.