The Liberals promised a suite of crime measures. Here's what they're taking on
After an election which saw the Conservatives campaign heavily on crime while the Liberals promised stricter measures for offences like violent car thefts, the new minority Liberal government has a stack of new crime policies to implement.
Lisa Kerr, an associate professor at the Queen's University law school, said the proposals are 'all, generally speaking, in the direction of being tougher on crime, but in ways that are targeted to more serious offenders.'
She said they will 'likely still preserve discretion for Crown prosecutors and judges to respond in appropriate ways to individual cases.'
The proposals include tougher bail and sentencing guidelines for some crimes, and the creation of new criminal offences involving intimidation at schools and places of worship, as well as online sexploitation.
Justin Piché, a criminology professor at the University of Ottawa, said the moment reminds him of when Bill Clinton became president of the United States and put forward laws to increase the use of policing and prisons and impose steeper sentences.
Story continues below advertisement
'I don't necessarily think it's because he believed in them. I think it was because he didn't want to get outflanked on the right on these issues and lose power and the ability to govern more broadly,' he said.
He said the Liberals didn't want crime 'to be an issue for them, and that's clear in the kinds of policies that they're promoting.'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spent much of the recent federal election campaigning against what he dubbed the 'hug-a-thug' criminal justice policies of the previous Liberal government. He promised to counter those policies with measures such as mandatory life sentences for multiple offences.
When experts said a number of those policies would be unconstitutional, Poilievre said he would be willing to use the notwithstanding clause to make them law.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The Liberals put forward a list of crime policies of their own, including a promise to 'move aggressively' to implement stricter bail laws for a number of offences.
They committed to making bail more difficult to get for those charged with car thefts involving violence or those conducted for a criminal organization, and for home invasions and some human trafficking and smuggling offences.
Kerr said the move to establish a reverse onus for bail for these crimes — which moves the burden of proof from the prosecutor to the accused — is 'likely a response to some of the heated rhetoric around bail that was part of the federal election.'
Story continues below advertisement
But she said those who make decisions in bail court 'are already attentive to public safety in these cases, and we have seen ever-expanding rates of pretrial confinement in a province like Ontario for decades.'
Michael Spratt, an Ottawa-based criminal defence lawyer, said people with prior records who were on bail when arrested, and those who used weapons to commit crimes, already 'face an uphill battle' to get bail.
'Promising to crack down or to treat those cases seriously ignores the fact that our courts already do,' he said.
He gave the example of a Liberal election promise to require courts to prohibit individuals from possessing firearms or weapons if they're charged with a violent offence or an offence involving a criminal organization. Spratt said that's something that happens already.
Spratt said the Liberals gave 'some nods' to tough-on-crime approaches but described some of those measures as 'largely performative.'
He argued those promises are 'much less damaging to our democratic institutions than the sledgehammer that the Conservatives and Pierre Poilievre wanted to use to performatively get tough on crime by undercutting and overriding Charter protections.'
The Liberal party platform also promised tougher sentencing guidelines for repeat car thieves and violent and organized crimes. They promised to allow for consecutive sentencing for some cases of car theft and for serious and violent offences.
Story continues below advertisement
The Liberals also vowed to make it a criminal offence to intentionally obstruct access to places of worship, schools and community centres, or to intimidate or threaten individuals at those locations.
It's an issue the Conservatives have used to attack the Liberals repeatedly. The Liberals were accused by some Jewish organizations of not doing enough to protect Jewish communities from acts of violence and hate.
Carney also promised to make distribution of non-consensual sexual deepfakes a criminal offence and to introduce a bill to protect children from online sexploitation and extortion.
Kerr said the proposal on deepfakes is 'just a sensible response to changing technology.'
Spratt called it an example of 'positive criminal justice reform that's really necessary to keep up with modern times.'
The measures will be in the hands of new Justice Minister Sean Fraser. It's not clear which of the promised policies will be government priorities — Carney has released a single mandate letter for all of his ministers and it does not mention the justice policies.
Carney did give a nod to the importance of crime issues to his government by naming Ruby Sahota to the new post of secretary of state for combating crime.
Spratt dismissed the move, using the baseball term 'eyewash.'
Story continues below advertisement
'It is the performative act of getting your uniform dirty to make it look like you are trying really hard,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Undocumented students push for right to education, but Alberta noncommittal
Ariana Zapata's favourite subject in school is social studies. For the 13-year-old in Edmonton, this means lessons on historical societies, colonialism, how worldviews are developed and so on. The eighth grader's own worldview is still being built, but she has pillars in place: family, fight for what you believe in, don't be too trusting and, critically, education is a right. That's why, when Zapata gets home from school every day, she passes on what she learned to her three younger siblings. 'That way when they go back to school, they won't feel behind,' she said in a recent interview. School bells haven't applied to her brother and sisters in two years. They were kicked out of school when officials realized they were undocumented. Story continues below advertisement Zapata is undocumented, too, but said her school hasn't figured that out yet. Alberta isn't unique in denying children without legal residency status from attending public school. Ontario is the only Canadian province or territory that legally requires schools to enrol undocumented children. 1:49 Alberta government proposes education act amendments Zapata and her family, along with a coalition of non-profit advocacy groups, want Alberta to follow in Ontario's footsteps. Samantha Vaux, a social worker with an Edmonton-based group that works with undocumented families, said that by not doing so, Alberta is not fulfilling commitments made by signing the United Nations Convention of the Child in 1999. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Originally ratified in 1990, the convention states signatories 'shall' make 'primary education compulsory and available free to all.' 'It's not a privilege, it's a right,' said Vaux, with the Islamic Family and Social Services Association. 'The more those children are kept out of school, the more harmful it is not only to them, (but) to their family, the community, even our society.' Story continues below advertisement There's no dependable estimate for how many undocumented people live in Canada. A briefing note prepared for former federal immigration minister Marc Miller last year said there could be as many as 500,000. Zapata's family came to Canada from Mexico a few years ago and applied for refugee status. All four Zapata children attended school for two years while the family's application was being processed. But when it was denied, so too was their right to attend publicly funded schools. The family decided it wasn't safe to return to Mexico and has stayed in Canada without documentation. Zapata said she feels the need to watch her back on the way to school, given the precariousness of her situation. Dayana Rodriguez knows that feeling, too. Rodriguez, 18, and her family came to Edmonton from Mexico in 2019 and applied for refugee status. Like the Zapatas, Rodriguez and her family were denied, but decided to stay. She attended school until 2022, but stopped after losing her residency status. 'We didn't even get out of the house,' she said of her time out of school. 'You are in your house, four walls. We couldn't even go to the park comfortably. Story continues below advertisement 'It was like being in a jail.' When the Rodriguez family applied again, she returned to school, though she has recently dropped out to start working and support the family, including her two younger siblings. Rodriguez's five-year-old sister was born in Canada, so she might not face enrolment issues when the next school year comes around — but her teen brother might. 'They were also asking for his papers,' Rodriguez said. 'We had to talk to the school and they kind of let him (stay) for a little, but we don't know what's going to happen.' Vaux, who works with an undocumented family from Pakistan with four school-aged kids — all of whom can't enrol — said education is just one aspect of life that's barred to undocumented people in Canada. Public health care isn't an option, nor are jobs protected by labour laws. In May, after Vaux and other advocacy groups spoke at months of meetings, Edmonton Public School trustees voted to ask the province to change the laws to allow undocumented kids to go to school. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides hasn't directly answered questions about whether he'd considered making legislative changes, saying only that Alberta strives to 'strike a balance between responsibility to taxpayers and compassion for those arriving to the province.' Story continues below advertisement Since the school board vote, his office denied multiple interview requests over a two-week period. It also didn't answer questions about whether Nicolaides agreed that Alberta isn't living up to its commitment to compulsory education. 'It's important to note that most foreign children are eligible for a funded education in the province,' Nicolaides said in a statement. Vaux said the lack of a clear answer was 'unacceptable.' 'It's literally red tape,' she said. 'Why are children's education stopped because of that?' She said children didn't make the decision to live without documentation, but are being punished as if they did. 'Children shouldn't have to suffer or deal with these adult issues,' Vaux said. 'They didn't ask to be put in those situations.'
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
How Iran could retaliate after U.S. strikes on its nuclear program
Iran has spent decades building multi-tiered military capabilities at home and across the region that were at least partly aimed at deterring the United States from attacking it. By entering Israel's war, the U.S. may have removed the last rationale for holding them in reserve. That could mean a wave of attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East, an attempt to close a key bottleneck for global oil supplies or a dash to develop a nuclear weapon with what remains of Iran's disputed program after American strikes on three key sites. A decision to retaliate against the U.S. and its regional allies would give Iran a far larger target bank and one that is much closer than Israel, allowing it to potentially use its missiles and drones to greater effect. The U.S. and Israel have far superior capabilities, but those haven't always proven decisive in America's recent history of military interventions in the region. Story continues below advertisement Ever since Israel started the war with a surprise bombardment of Iran's military and nuclear sites on June 13, Iranian officials from the supreme leader on down have warned the U.S. to stay out, saying it would have dire consequences for the entire region. It should soon be clear whether those were empty threats or a grim forecast. View image in full screen Protesters chant slogans as one of them holds up a poster of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a protest following the U.S. attacks on nuclear sites in Iran, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 22, 2025. Vahid Salemi / The Associated Press Here's a look at what Iran's next move might be. Targeting the Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which some 20 per cent of all oil traded globally passes, and at its narrowest point it is just 33 kilometres wide. Any disruption there could send oil prices soaring worldwide and hit American pocketbooks. Story continues below advertisement Iran boasts a fleet of fast-attack boats and thousands of naval mines that could potentially make the strait impassable, at least for a time. It could also fire missiles from its long Persian Gulf shore, as its allies, Yemen's Houthi rebels, have done in the Red Sea. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The U.S., with its 5th Fleet stationed in nearby Bahrain, has long pledged to uphold freedom of navigation in the strait and would respond with far superior forces. But even a relatively brief firefight could paralyze shipping traffic and spook investors, causing oil prices to spike and generating international pressure for a ceasefire. 1:20 U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth says Iran's nuclear ambitions 'obliterated' in operation Midnight Hammer Attacking US bases and allies in the region The U.S. has tens of thousands of troops stationed in the region, including at permanent bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Arab Gulf countries just across the Persian Gulf from Iran — and much closer than Israel. Story continues below advertisement Those bases boast the same kinds of sophisticated air defences as Israel, but would have much less warning time before waves of missiles or swarms of armed drones. And even Israel, which is several hundred kilometres further away, has been unable to stop all of the incoming fire. Iran could also choose to attack key oil and gas facilities in those countries with the goal of exacting a higher price for U.S. involvement in the war. A drone attack on two major oil sites in Saudi Arabia in 2019 — claimed by the Houthis but widely blamed on Iran — briefly cut the kingdom's oil production in half. View image in full screen Israeli soldiers inspect the site struck by a direct missile strike launched from Iran in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. Bernat Armangue / The Associated Press Activating regional allies Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance — a network of militant groups across the Middle East, is a shadow of what it was before the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel out of the Gaza Strip — but it still has some formidable capabilities. Story continues below advertisement Israel's 20-month war in Gaza has severely diminished the Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups, and Israel mauled Lebanon's Hezbollah last fall, killing most of its top leadership and devastating much of southern Lebanon, making its involvement unlikely. But Iran could still call on the Houthis, who had threatened to resume their attacks in the Red Sea if the U.S. entered the war, and allied militias in Iraq. Both have drone and missile capabilities that would allow them to target the United States and its allies. Iran could also seek to respond through militant attacks further afield, as it is widely accused of doing in the 1990s with an attack on a Jewish community center in Argentina that was blamed on Tehran and Hezbollah. A sprint toward nuclear arms It could be days or weeks before the full impact of the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites is known. Story continues below advertisement But experts have long warned that even joint U.S. and Israeli strikes would only delay Iran's ability to develop a weapon, not eliminate it. That's because Iran has dispersed its program across the country to several sites, including hardened, underground facilities. Iran would likely struggle to repair or reconstitute its nuclear program while Israeli and U.S. warplanes are circling overhead. But it could still decide to fully end its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and abandon the the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. North Korea announced its withdrawal from the treaty in 2003 and tested a nuclear weapon three years later, but it had the freedom to develop its program without punishing airstrikes. Iran insists its program is peaceful, though it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA assess Iran hasn't had an organized military nuclear program since 2003. Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East but does not acknowledge having such weapons.
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
‘There's no protection': Canadian Sikh leaders face threats, organization says
The World Sikh Organization says multiple Sikh leaders in Canada have received notice from the RCMP that their lives could be in imminent danger. But WSO spokesperson Balpreet Singh told The West Block's Mercedes Stephenson that the national police force shared few details about who was behind the threats — and little in terms of protection or assistance. 'What happens is that you're approached by law enforcement and they give you a piece of paper that says that your life is in imminent risk of being targeted, that you could be killed,' Singh said in an interview. 'They take that paper back and then they ask you, 'Well, where do you think this threat is coming from?' And it's really surreal to think that the police have approached you, and now they're asking you, 'Where do you think the threat is coming from?' You're not provided any real supports.' Story continues below advertisement Singh said some were told to change their routines and think about spending time away from their families and friends, but were otherwise 'left to (their) own devices.' 'It's really an odd situation where you just don't know where to go. And, you know, people that have had to leave their homes, have to leave their families. And there's no end to it,' Singh said. 'Someone approached the police six months after receiving one of these (warnings) and was told, well, there's no foreseeable end because this is a decades-long conflict. So we don't know when this threat will end.' Global News reported earlier this month the RCMP put former NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh under tight security in late 2023 after the national police force assessed the then-NDP leader's life was in imminent danger. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Singh and his family were protected by armed police, including at a hospital in December 2023 when Singh's wife was giving birth. His senior staff were also forced to incorporate more stringent security plans for their leader's public appearances. The new revelations come as Prime Minister Mark Carney has attempted to patch up relations with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an effort to diversify Canada's trade partnerships amid tumult with the Trump administration. Canada's relationship with India – the world's fifth largest economy – have been severely strained since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly said there was 'credible' intelligence linking the Indian government to the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a B.C. Sikh leader and Khalistan activist, who was killed on Canadian soil in 2023. Story continues below advertisement The NDP's Singh received a top-secret briefing on the intelligence related to Nijjar's murder, and told reporters there was 'clear evidence' that the Indian government was involved — a claim Indian officials dismissed as 'absurd.' In the months that followed, Singh was to find himself targeted. Citing unnamed sources, Global reported on June 12 that information about Singh's movements, family and travel schedule were being closely watched by an agent suspected of ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a transnational crime syndicate linked to murders, extortion and drug crimes. The Government of India has been accused of using Bishnoi gang members to commit violence in Canada. Sources said the agent in question has also allegedly been connected to activities directed by the Indian government. India has long accused Canada of not addressing Khalistani activists, some of whom New Delhi considers 'extremists,' living and working in Canada. The Khalistan movement agitates for an independent Sikh state in India's Punjab region. Responding to criticism over inviting Modi to the G7 Summit in Alberta last week, Carney noted that the Indian prime minister has been invited to every G7 since 2018 and called his bilateral meeting with Modi as a 'necessary first step' to rebuilding the relationship between Ottawa and New Delhi. 'I think the meeting today was important, but I would describe it as foundational… An agreement to provide the necessary foundations to begin to rebuild the relationship, based on mutual respect, sovereignty and trust,' Carney told reporters last week. Story continues below advertisement Carney said he and Modi had a 'frank, open exchange,' which included discussions of issues such as law enforcement and transnational repression. The recent federal inquiry into foreign interference named India as the second-most active player in that space, behind only the People's Republic of China. When asked how he would describe Carney's invitation to Modi to join world leaders in Alberta last week, Balpreet Singh with the WSO said 'the word that comes to mind is 'betrayal.'' 'We're not against dialogue, but it's got to be principled,' Singh said. 'But here it was a complete display of appeasement … India has still not acknowledged any role in foreign interference or transnational oppression in Canada.'
