Oxford MP’s attempt to fast track bail bill voted down

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Oxford MP Arpan Khanna says people are dying on Canada’s streets while the government delays working on fixing the nation’s bail problems.

Khanna’s Private Member’s Bill, the Jail Not Bail Act, will address the problem with repeatedly letting repeat offenders out on bail. He said with 1,600 violent crimes per day, many of these by repeat offenders and one-third of murders in the country committed by repeat offenders, there is no time to delay.

Khanna’s bill is number 10 on the list when the government starts to debate private member’s business. A date for that to start hasn’t been set, but will occur this fall. The Conservatives believe the bail problem is large enough that the Oct. 6 Opposition Day Motion was to speed up passage of the bill and not wait for the Private Member’s Bill process.

“The Liberals and the other parties voted against fast tracking the bill,” Khanna said of the result of the lost vote. “They want it go through the normal channels.”

He believes the decision was made because of politics, but he maintains it’s not a political issue but one that crosses political lines, with surveys showing 80 per cent of people want the issue fixed. Khanna pointed to calls for immediate action from B.C.’s NDP Premier David Eby and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who also has NDP roots.

Khanna said he saw “zero cooperation” towards an offer to the Liberals to use the bill, saying he doesn’t have to take credit for it as long as there is action.

“They want to continue business as it’s supposed to be, they want to continue through normal channels,” he said.

The vote to move up debate of the bill was lost 196-142.