The Liberals’ new bail-reform legislation includes new measures that would make it more difficult for some repeat violent offenders to get released on bail.
While the burden of proof usually rests on prosecutors to convince judges why offenders should stay behind bars, this means that in some cases, the offender will now be the one who has to prove in court why they should be released on bail. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the announcement is about “keeping communities safe” and “zeroes in on offenders who use guns and other weapons.”
He went on to say that the proposed laws would not raise the bar to access bail and instead they create a series of lower bars and will continue to allow repeat violent offenders to be released on bail.NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said bail reforms cannot be the only thing considered to keep communities safe, and called for better supervision of people who are released on bail.
In a statement, Ontario’s Solicitor General Michael Kerzner and Attorney General Doug Downey said too many innocent people have lost their lives due to dangerous criminals not being behind bars. High-profile cases have recently brought attention to the issue, including the stabbing deaths of a woman and her daughter in Edmonton earlier this month.