Why do violent offenders keep getting bail?

Canadians are increasingly frustrated and concerned by constant headlines about violent crime in our communities. Sadly, many of these crimes are a result of dangerous catch-and-release policies brought in by the Trudeau Liberals over the past few years.

The Winnipeg Free Press published an article examining the 53 Winnipeg homicides in 2022, of which, “15 of the accused were under a mandatory prohibition not to possess weapons… In at least 16 cases, the accused was already facing charges for other offences and was either out on bail, was the subject of an undertaking or actively wanted.”

Why were these violent repeat offenders let out in our communities? Bill C-75m a Liberal bill from 2019 that brought in the dangerous catch-and-release bail system, made it much harder to keep violent repeat offenders in jail while they await trial. As a result, violent repeat offenders are getting let out on bail and committing more violent crimes.

Earlier this month, a mother and her child were fatally stabbed in a horrific random attack outside an Edmonton school. The accused killer had been released on bail 18 days prior. He had a long history of violence. Had he not been released, this woman and child would be alive.

In December, Ontario Provincial Police Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala was responding to a call about a vehicle in a ditch. When he approached the vehicle, he was shot and killed. The accused murderer was out on bail for assault and weapons charges at the time. Had this violent offender been in jail and not on bail, Const. Pierzchala would still be alive.

With Bill C-5, the Trudeau Liberals also did away with mandatory minimum prison time for some criminals who commit crimes with guns. The Liberal approach has seen violent crime in Canada increase by 32 per cent since Justin Trudeau took office, with 124,000 more violent crime incidents in 2021 compared to 2015, and gang murders have doubled.

Canadians deserve to feel safe in our communities. The Conservative Party of Canada, the official Opposition in the House of Commons, has been relentless in standing up for public safety and raising the issue of violent repeat offenders being released on bail. It is not only the Conservatives saying this — all 13 Premiers of the provinces and territories wrote a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau demanding bail reform. Municipal police forces across Canada have also demanded bail reform.

In an attempt to make the public believe they will fix the crime problem they helped create, the Liberals have brought forward Bill C-48. However, the accused killer of Const. Pierzchala, and countless other repeat violent offenders would still be released on bail under Bill C-48. It is not the answer that Canada needs.

Under the last Conservative government, violent crime went down by 23 per cent. Only a Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre will clean up our streets, ensure violent criminals get jail and not bail, and will put the rights of victims and innocent Canadians first.

As always, constituents are welcome to reach out to my office at 204-984-6322 or raquel.dancho@parl.gc.ca if they have questions or concerns related to federal issues.

Raquel Dancho
Kildonan-St. Paul constituency report

Raquel Dancho is the Conservative MP for Kildonan-St. Paul.

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