Conservatives call on Liberals to pass the Jail Not Bail Act
Ottawa, ON – As the Liberal crime wave rages after years of reckless hug-a-thug, weak-on-crime, catch-and-release laws, Conservatives offer solutions to restore safe streets to our communities. That’s why today, His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition will introduce a motion calling on the House of Commons to immediately pass Bill C-242, the Jail Not Bail Act.
Having already won support from across Canada, the Act will undo the broken Liberal bail laws that have unleashed terror across our communities. It would introduce new bail conditions for major offences and repeal the Liberal “Principle of Restraint” to prioritize public safety.
Arpan Khanna, Conservative Member of Parliament for Oxford, tabled C-242 last week to undo the effects of irresponsible, soft-on-crime policies like C-5 and C-75. These reckless Liberal laws have contributed to 29% more homicides, 76% more sexual assaults and 330% more incidents of extortion since they took office in 2015.
But for innocent, law-abiding Canadians these are more than mere statistics: they are threats to their property, their dignity and their lives.
Just days ago, GTA residents were shocked to learn that at least one suspect arrested in connection with a Markham violent home invasion that left a 54-year-old man seriously injured was released on bail despite charges including robbery with a firearm and attempted murder. One of the accused was on bail himself at the time of the alleged crime.
“Every morning we wake up, we hear terrifying news headlines,” said Khanna. “Broad daylight shootings, extortions, violent home invasions and carjackings have now sadly become the norm in our country.”
This summer witnessed a string of high-profile incidents of violent crime, including the murder of Bailey McCourt by her ex-husband James Plover just hours after he was released on bail following an assault conviction.
“As a father, I am sickened by the government’s inaction,” said Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre. “The Prime Minister has had plenty of time to honour his promises to Canadians. That’s why Conservatives are taking the lead.”
During the election, the Liberals promised to “act decisively to strengthen the Criminal Code” and protect victims by reforming their failed bail laws. We don’t need Liberal reforms, we need to scrap Liberal bail and restore safety to our streets. Today’s opposition motion will call on the House of Commons to take the appropriate steps to pass the Jail Not Bail Act, including extended sittings, so that innocent Canadians are protected and violent criminals are behind bars – where they belong.