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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 316

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 23, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Mr. Frank Caputo
  • May/23/24 8:29:18 p.m.
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Madam Chair, when was the last time the minister attended a sentencing?
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Mr. Frank Caputo
  • May/23/24 8:29:35 p.m.
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Madam Chair, when was the last time the minister attended a sentencing?
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Mr. Frank Caputo
  • May/23/24 8:29:44 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as the top legal official in this country, as Attorney General and Minister of Justice, does the minister not think he should attend a sentencing just once in a while?
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Ms. Elizabeth May
  • May/23/24 10:24:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I also recall that when we were debating that and other issues in this place relating to mandatory minimums, there was a fair degree of evidence and concern that as jurisdictions used mandatory minimums, that tended to decrease what a judge did at the moment of sentencing and increase the likelihood of plea bargaining, as defence lawyers realized they were not going to have much option because there was a mandatory minimum associated. I wonder if the minister has any thoughts on whether plea bargaining is more likely when there are mandatory minimum sentences over many offences.
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:27:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I would say with respect to the Impact Assessment Act is that we have looked at the Supreme Court decision from October 2023, and I am very confident that the proposed amendments would address the concerns identified by the court and establish a robust and constitutional impact process. With respect to the mandatory minimum piece, I would quote David Daubney, a former Conservative MP, who said, “The proliferation of mandatory minimum sentencing will lead to fewer guilty pleas, significant processing delays, big increases in the number of accused persons awaiting trial in already overcrowded”—
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Andrew Scheer
  • May/23/24 10:43:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand why the minister is so desperate not to answer the question and is hiding behind things that he knows are just not true. It is because crime has gone up massively: Homicides are up 43% since the Liberal government took over, gang-related homicides are up 105%, and violent gun crimes are up 101%. On the one hand, the minister talks about how bad mandatory minimums are; on the other, he brags that the government actually kept some mandatory minimums. It is completely incoherent. He is completely self-contradictory. He talked about car thefts. Did the Government of Canada expand the use of conditional sentencing, in other words, house arrest, for criminals who steal cars, yes or no?
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