OTTAWA, ON – Raquel Dancho, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Safety, Hon. Rob Moore, Conservative Shadow Minister for Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Pierre Paul-Hus, Quebec Political Lieutenant, and Melissa Lantsman, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, released the following statement:

“After eight years of Justin Trudeau, Canadian cities have become crime zones. Hard working Canadians don’t feel safe walking down the street or taking transit to work.

“The broken Liberal bail system is failing to keep Canadians safe. Since Justin Trudeau took office, violent crime has increased by 32%. Gang-related murders have nearly doubled. According to Toronto Police, in 2022 there were 44 shooting-related homicides in the city, in which 24 accused persons were on a firearm-related or other type of bail at the time they were alleged to have committed the offence.

“Canadians are seeing firsthand the deadly and dangerous impacts of soft-on-crime Liberal policies. A small number of dangerous repeat violent offenders are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. In B.C. alone, about 200 frequent offenders were collectively involved in 11,600 confrontations with police within the span of a year. But Liberal catch-and release policies mean these dangerous repeat violent offenders often end up back on the streets, in some cases reoffending and getting released multiple times in the same day. These policies put Canadians at risk. 

“This is a result of Bill C-75 that made it easier for violent criminals to receive bail. The problem is being made worse by the recent passage of Bill C-5, which eliminated mandatory prison time for serious crimes committed with guns. Every Premier in Canada and many police associations are calling on the Liberal Government to reform the broken Liberal bail system. Yet the Liberals’ response is to attack law-abiding firearm owners. They have targeted hunters and farmers to avoid responsibility for their catch-and-release policies, and continue to blame the provinces and police.

“Today we are calling on the Liberal government to enact policies that prioritize the rights of victims and law-abiding citizen. The Trudeau Liberals must immediately repeal the elements of Bill C-75 which force judges to release violent, repeat offenders onto our streets and must act to strengthen Canada’s bail laws so that those who are prohibited from possessing firearms do not easily get bail.

“A Conservative government will reform our broken bail system to ensure the small number of dangerous repeat violent offenders do not end up on the streets. We will enact common sense laws to protect Canadians, keep our communities safe, and restore safe streets.”