Bill C-14 receives royal assent, 'shepherding' in sweeping justice system reforms
· Toronto Sun
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A beefed-up crime-fighting bill received royal assent on Monday.
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“The changes we will see in Bill C-14, I hope and I pray that if executed as designed, will prevent further violence in our communities, they will protect your police officers, it will protect victims of crime. It does what legislation should do,” OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said at city hall in Brampton.
The Bail and Sentencing Reform Act (Bill C-14), with some of the most significant reforms to make bail and sentencing laws stronger, is now law, delivering on the federal government’s commitment to strengthen the Criminal Code .
“I want to congratulate (federal Justice) Minister Sean Fraser for shepherding these changes through,” Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey said. “It was not a straight line and I know there are always challenges bringing in significant changes and this is significant change.”
Eighty changes on the way
The bill makes more than 80 changes to the Criminal Code, Youth Criminal Justice Act and National Defence Act to make bail and sentencing laws tougher for repeat and violent offenders. Stricter bail laws and tougher laws and sentences for extortion, car thefts and organized crime are also among the changes.
“It brings together sentencing for serious crimes like auto theft, extortion, carjacking and home invasions,” Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said. “Repeat violent offenders will face tougher consequences and it will help place our community first. And this is very important because we see the impact of repeat violent offenders on a daily basis in Peel and across our province. Our officers work hard to protect our community, but find themselves dealing with the same individuals.”
Brampton North MP Ruby Sahota also said the act makes it more difficult for “repeat, high-risk accused persons to obtain bail, cracking down on organized crime and providing serious consequences for serious offences.”
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More onus on reverse onus
One of the major changes in C-14 includes creating reverse onus for certain types of crime like violent auto theft and human trafficking.
“It took some courage to translate what we were hearing on the front lines to change the Criminal Code and allow us to do what we need to do to keep criminals behind bars, to make people show why they should be out … and we are going to change the bail surety to match that,” Downey said.
Reverse onus places the burden on a person accused of a crime to prove why they should get bail. Typically, that responsibility would fall to the Crown attorney.
“The tools without the rules would not work, so now we have the rules,” Downey said.
When it comes to sentencing, courts will now be able to impose consecutive sentences for crimes like violent auto theft and extortion, meaning a person convicted on multiple charges would serve each charge after the other.
“This is a fine example of responsibility when the province and federal government work together, what we can achieve in the view of public safety across this country,” Carrique said.
Bill C-14 comes into effect on July 15.
“This legislation is an important step forward,” Milinovich said. “It will help us protect our communities and hold the people who target our communities accountable. Stronger laws mean safer communities.”
Bill C-14 is one of three major criminal justice reforms that strengthen protections against hate crimes and sexual predators.