Friday October 24, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Also see: federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General Sean Fraser in Victoria, Oct 27, to highlight BC’s role]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
British Columbia’s Attorney General is pleased for BC to have significantly informed the development of a new federal crime bill that is a response to public concern about increased crime and related safety issues in communities across the country.
Yesterday in the House of Commons, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Sean Fraser announced the introduction of the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act.
Bill C-14 is an Act that includes Criminal Code reforms that reflect many of the priorities that BC has championed:
🚨 Reverse-onus bail in high-risk cases
🚨 Stronger consequences for repeat violent offenders
🚨 Better protections for victims of intimate-partner and gender-based violence
🚨 New tools to address extortion and serious repeat offences
The reforms would introduce over 80 clauses of targeted changes to the bail and sentencing framework in the Criminal Code, informed by extensive consultations. They would also make amendments to improve the youth justice system.
A strong Canada means strong protections for our communities and a Criminal Code that responds to emerging threats, protects victims of crime, and keeps our kids safe. This is the latest in a series of reforms to strengthen community safety and Canada’s justice system. In the coming months, the Government of Canada says it will bring forward further changes to address court delays, strengthen victims’ rights, better protect people facing sexual and intimate partner violence, and keep children safe from horrific crimes.
Stricter bail laws
The Act would make bail stricter and harder to get, including in cases of repeat and violent offending. It would create new reverse onuses, meaning the starting point is detention and the accused would have to prove why they should be released on bail.
When considering whether to grant bail, the amendments would direct police not to release an accused when it is against the public interest or when detention is needed to protect victims, or witnesses. Courts would be required to consider specific factors, including if the allegations involved random or unprovoked violence and if the accused has any outstanding charges, and to set stricter conditions, including weapons bans. Changes would make clear that in reverse onus cases, courts must closely scrutinize the bail plan of the accused, who would be required to clearly demonstrate that their plan is reliable and credible, in order to be released on bail.
Tougher sentencing laws
The Act would also toughen sentencing laws for repeat and violent crime, including car theft and extortion, meaning those found guilty can spend more time in prison. Proposed amendments would require consecutive sentences for violent auto theft and break and enter, and extortion and arson, and allow them for repeat violent offending. This means serving one sentence after another instead of serving sentences for multiple offences at the same time.
New aggravating factors would apply to crimes against first responders, retail theft, and theft or mischief that harms essential infrastructure. The Act would also end house arrest for certain sexual assault and child sexual offences, restore driving prohibitions for criminal negligence causing bodily harm and death and manslaughter, and strengthen fine enforcement.
Provincial action would be required:
These changes to the Criminal Code by the federal government will only be effective if provincial and territorial governments do their part in supporting their implementation. This includes properly managing and resourcing the administration of justice, including police and prosecution services under their jurisdiction, bail courts, bail supervision programs, provincial courts, jails and victim services. The federal government looks forward to continuing to work with provincial and territorial governments to ensure the proper functioning of the criminal justice system.
BC’s full statement is are presented below:
Attorney general’s, minister’s statements on federal government’s new crime bill
Niki Sharma, Attorney General, and Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, have released the following statements in response to the introduction of new, proposed Criminal Code amendments and public safety commitments by the federal government:
Niki Sharma, Attorney General, said:
“The federal government’s announcement today of new measures to amend the Criminal Code and other federal statutes are a promising step toward keeping people safe and holding perpetrators accountable. Many of the actions reflect proposals our government put forward to better protect people from repeat violent offenders and strengthen public safety.
“British Columbia has led the country in calling for reforms that put public safety first, including bail decisions that better reflect risk, impose stronger consequences for repeat and violent offenders and provide better protections for victims of intimate-partner and gender-based violence. The federal government’s proposed amendments reflect many of the priorities B.C. has championed, such as reverse-onus bail in high-risk cases and expanded sentencing tools for serious repeat offences, ensuring that bail determinations consider both the seriousness and the number of past offences, better tools to address extortion and a sharper focus on harms and intimate-partner violence, such as strangulation, suffocation and choking.
“In my letters to Sean Fraser, federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, earlier this year, I urged changes for post-conviction bail, not just for violent offenders, but for the repeat offenders who are placing a major strain on local police time and resources. I’m pleased to see that this input is reflected in the legislation introduced today, showing our shared commitment to keeping communities safe.
“Today’s announcement reflects the strong collaborative relationship between our two governments, but our work continues. We will monitor the implementation of these federal reforms closely to assess whether they are working as intended.
“While the bill includes some protections for victims of intimate-partner violence, I will continue to advocate for stronger protections. The circumstances that led to the tragic death of Bailey McCourt should never happen again. That’s why we’re pleased that the federal government followed through on our request for a new reverse onus following a finding of guilt for a charge of assault or sexual assault involving choking, suffocating or strangulation. McCourt’s murder is a painful reminder of what’s at stake and of the urgent need to hold perpetrators accountable and protect those at risk.
“At the provincial level, we are actively working through the recommendations outlined in Dr. Kim Stanton’s independent report, which highlighted the need for inter-agency information sharing and consistent risk assessment. We will provide an update on our progress in addressing these recommendations in the coming weeks. The federal government has indicated that further gender-based violence reforms are coming later this year, and we will continue to press them for strong measures.
“Together, we remain focused on building a justice system in British Columbia that is fair and equitable, responsive and protective, and above all, keeps people safe in their homes, businesses and communities.”
Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, said:
“I welcome the federal government’s introduction of new legislation aimed at keeping people safe, providing better tools to address serious crimes like extortion and organized retail theft that harm businesses and critical infrastructure, and ultimately, strengthening community safety across the country.
“Our government has long been calling on the federal government to take meaningful action to ensure stronger consequences for those who repeatedly cause harm in our communities. Police in our province are too often arresting the same individuals for repeat offences, only to see them quickly return to the streets to offend once again. These proposed changes are an important step toward reinforcing public safety and restoring confidence in our justice system.
“I was pleased to hear Sean Fraser, federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, confirm that the new federal legislation will include stiffer sentencing for violent and repeat offenders, crimes committed against first responders, organized retail theft and theft that harms essential infrastructure, as well as include tighter bail.
“This legislation supports the federal government’s plan to hire 1,000 new RCMP personnel over the next four years, which will strengthen policing capacity and police operations on the ground. I will be working closely with my federal counterpart to ensure B.C. receives its fair share of these new officers.
“We all share the same goal of strengthening public safety and ensuring that people can live free from violence. While this legislation is a step in the right direction, our government will continue advancing initiatives at the provincial level that support police in protecting our communities, such as the Specialized Investigation and Targeted Enforcement program and the Repeat Violent Offender Intervention initiative.
“In the coming weeks and months, our government will do its part by working closely with our federal counterparts and engaging with law enforcement agencies and justice partners to map out how these changes will be implemented here in B.C. We will monitor the impacts of these reforms carefully to ensure they achieve their intended outcomes and make our communities safer.
“Our government remains committed to doing everything we can to make B.C. a safe and welcoming province by supporting police and holding repeat offenders to account so people feel secure in their communities.”
=====RELATED:
- Attorney General Sean Fraser in Victoria to highlight BC’s role in bail reform (October 27, 2025)
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