Makes sense. Maybe they should go further. At a minimum, if you're charged with a violent crime while on bail, you shouldn't get bail for that one.Amid a wave of random violent attacks committed by repeat offenders on bail, the Liberals have finally introduced their much-awaited plan to cut down on Canada’s crisis of so-called “catch-and-release” justice.
While police organizations have welcomed the reforms as a concrete step to rein in “repeat violent offenders,” Conservatives and legal critics are saying it will do shockingly little to reform a justice system that remains tilted towards chronic releases of violent offenders.
Bill C-48 was introduced Tuesday by Justice Minister David Lametti, who touted it as a “targeted” measure “to strengthen our bail system.”
It’s only eight pages, and its main provision is the expansion of a “reverse onus” on bail for suspects charged with a violent crime.
Under normal circumstances, it’s up to prosecutors to show whether a suspect charged with a crime should be kept in pre-trial detention, rather than being released on bail with a court date.
But in extreme cases — such as homicide — the onus is reversed, and it’s suddenly up to the accused to argue why they deserve freedom.
What C-48 does is to apply a reverse onus to suspects charged with a violent offence who have previously been convicted of another violent offence “within the last five years.”
Police — who have been at the forefront of pushing for bail reform — expressed appreciation for C-48. In a joint statement with other law enforcement representatives, Canadian Police Association President Tom Stamatakis called the bill “common-sense legislation that responds to the concerns our members raised.”
The statement was clear that they weren’t seeking an across-the-board toughening of bail. Rather, they simply wanted a mechanism to deal with the “small number of repeat violent offenders who commit a disproportionate number of offences.”
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While touted as a fix for chronically released violent offenders, there's compelling evidence it won't do anything whatsoeverapple.news
Bill C-48 is very specific about what it considers “violence.”
To qualify for the new reverse onus provision, a suspect has to be charged with a crime involving “violence and the use of a weapon,” and their record over the last five years must also include a conviction for “violence and the use of a weapon.”
Thus, it doesn’t affect anyone who prefers to commit violent crime with their hands. It’s also irrelevant in cases of chronic property crime.
The only exception would be in cases where someone awaiting domestic abuse charges is again arrested for domestic abuse: That scenario will warrant a “reverse onus” for bail as per C-48, even if the suspect didn’t use a weapon.
The bill also does nothing to reverse a measure – first passed by the Liberals in 2018 — that requires judges to prioritize bail for any suspect coming from a historically “marginalized” community.
You realize that more jails and more courts are going to need to be funded, right?
