Ontario calls for 'swift' action on bail reform from feds. Some experts urge caution
As Ontario continues to push for “swift” action on bail reform, experts are urging cautious, “evidence-based” solutions aimed at reducing the amount of incarcerated Canadians.
On Wednesday, the Ford government passed a motion calling on the federal government to reform the Criminal Code of Canada and “implement meaningful bail reform” immediately.
Solicitor General of Ontario, Michael Kerzner, said in a written statement Wednesday it is his hope the federal government listens to the motion and takes immediate action to strengthen bail reform.
"People in Ontario communities are afraid to walk the streets or take public transit for the first time in decades,” Kerzner said Monday. "Serious violent offenders [...] are being released back onto the streets due to the dysfunction of Canada’s bail system."
On Monday, just over a week after the Toronto stabbing of a 16-year-old boy allegedly committed by a man in violation of a probation order, Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned legislators that delays in reform are costing people their lives.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that people are now dying because of the failures of our justice system,” the premier said in the legislature.
“We need action and we need it now.”
The fatal stabbing follows a recent string of incidents committed by offenders out on bail, including the killing of Ontario Provincial Police officer Gregory Pierzchala near Hagersville, Ont., and the fatal pushing of an elderly woman in downtown Toronto in January.
The move towards swift reform has not been without opposition.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has spoken out against the proposed reforms. In a statement issued earlier this year, the association said any claims that Canada’s bail system is “unduly lenient” run counter to decades of research.
“We are detaining more people than ever before, with intensely negative outcomes for the individuals and communities that are most directly impacted by the criminal justice system,” the statement said.
The CCLA called for “evidence-based” solutions aimed at lowering the amount of people incarcerated in Canada.
“That means supporting people experiencing poverty, precarious housing, mental illness, and substance use; improving reintegration programs for people who have been incarcerated; enhancing social welfare supports; and investing in education and health care,” it said.
A report released by Ontario’s Chief Coroner in January shows that, for more than two decades, all growth in provincial custody numbers can be attributed to individuals incarcerated during pre-trial stages.
Currently, 70 per cent of people incarcerated in Ontario are awaiting preceedings.
Deaths in Ontario prisons have also risen dramatically in recent years, the report states – in 2014, 14 inmates died, in 2019, 25 died, and in 2021, 46 died.
The report specifically identified reducing the number of individuals in custody on remand as a recommendation towards lowering the number of inmates deaths in Ontario.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tensions flare between Poilievre and Singh in the House after NDP says it will back Trudeau Liberals
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got into a heated exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday, just minutes after Singh announced his party would not be supporting the Conservatives' first non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
'It's disgusting': Quebec minister reacts after body of boy, 14, found near Hells Angels hideout
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
Missing six-year-old boy disappeared after school breakfast program: Manitoba RCMP
Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.
Woman dead, toddler uninjured following B.C. police shooting, watchdog says
B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.
PM Trudeau names Anita Anand transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez quits cabinet
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada's minister of transport on Thursday.
Canadian women among those who allege Harrods boss sexually abused them
CTV News has learned there are multiple Canadian women alleging they were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including machine-guns
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including more than 120 handguns and at least five fully automatic weapons like machine-guns.
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first major league player with 50 homers, 50 stolen bases in a season
Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star going deep twice to reach the half-century mark and swiping two bags to get to 51 against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Francois Legault wants the Trudeau government to fall
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.