This House of Commons committee meeting was held to study Bill C-14, an Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act regarding bail and sentencing. The first panel of witnesses included Tom Dyas, Mayor of Kelowna; Judith Veresuk, Executive Director of the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District; and Clayton Campbell, President of the Toronto Police Association. The second panel included Matt Poirier, Vice-President of Federal Government Relations for the Retail Council of Canada, and Paul MacKinnon, Chairperson of the International Downtown Association Canada. Department of Justice officials also appeared to assist with clause-by-clause study.
Mayor Tom Dyas described a "revolving door" where a small number of repeat offenders in Kelowna accumulate hundreds of police files, committing crimes shortly after release. He urged the committee to move Bill C-14 forward quickly and specifically asked that the term "property" be added alongside "repeat" in the bill to reflect the realities of property crime impacting businesses and residents.
Judith Veresuk stated that crime and public safety concerns are significant barriers for downtown businesses, forcing some to reduce hours and making employees feel unsafe. She advocated for Bill C-14 to include strengthened bail provisions for repeat and violent offenders, including reverse onus considerations, and enhanced recognition of offences against retail and public-facing workers.
Clayton Campbell expressed support for Bill C-14, calling the consultation process "exceptional." He recommended clarifying that the ladder principle does not apply under reverse onus, creating new reverse onuses for several offences, and making conditional sentences unavailable for serious sexual offences. He also advocated for a "three strikes" provision, limitations on who can be surety, and parole system reform, which were not included in the bill.
Matt Poirier described retail crime as a "full-blown national emergency" costing nearly $9 billion annually. He supported Bill C-14 as a "common-sense first step" but recommended adding consecutive sentencing for multiple thefts and aggregating the value of stolen goods to prevent organized crime rings from gaming the system. He also called for a national reporting portal to track organized retail crime across provincial lines.
Paul MacKinnon stated that deteriorating public safety in downtowns is eroding trust and causing economic decline, with businesses reducing hours and foot traffic declining. He supported Bill C-14 as an opportunity to restore balance and strengthen public safety, but noted that federal leadership is essential as municipalities and provinces cannot address systemic justice issues alone.
After the witness testimony, the committee debated and voted on a motion regarding the order of business, ultimately agreeing to return to clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-9 before beginning consideration of Bill C-16. The committee then proceeded to clause-by-clause study of Bill C-14, where several amendments were debated and voted on, including Conservative amendments to add consecutive sentencing for repeat human trafficking offences, to prevent convicted criminals from acting as sureties, and to require the surrender of passports for non-citizens on bail. A Bloc Québécois amendment to include firearms offences in the definition of "violent offence" under the Youth Criminal Justice Act was adopted on division, and a Bloc amendment to add a five-year review clause was also adopted. The bill was reported to the House as amended.
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