Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani is confident that the Liberals’ bail-reform bill will have an impact, although he acknowledges that it is difficult to measure the extent of that impact. Virani appeared before the Senate legal committee, which is currently studying Bill C-48. This bill aims to strengthen access to bail for certain violent offenders. The House of Commons passed the bill by unanimous consent last week, bypassing the usual step of sending it to a committee of MPs for review.
Virani highlighted that the government has observed an increase in crime, both statistically and anecdotally. In addition, MPs have already examined the bail system as a whole earlier this year. He mentioned that all provinces and many police services support the bill, urging the Senate to expedite its passage.
Virani clarified that judges still retain the discretion to grant bail, and the provinces lack sufficient data regarding the bail system. Therefore, it is challenging to determine the potential outcomes of the proposed reforms. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic that the reforms will have a positive outcome.