Oxford MP sees shortfall in government bail bill

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Oxford MP Arpan Khanna was glad to see the government introduce legislation to tackle shortfalls in the country’s bail system, but said it could do more.

Khanna has been working on his private member’s bill, The Jail Not Bail Act, which would tackle the problem of repeat violent offenders being let out of jail and reoffending. His research found that 1,600 violent crimes are committed per day, and many of these are committed by repeat offenders. He also discovered one-third of murders in the country were committed by repeat offenders

Khanna’s bill hasn’t been debated yet, and a motion to fast-track it was voted down, but last week the Liberal government tabled Bill C-14, The Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, which makes changes to Canada’s bail and sentencing framework.

“It’s good to see after years of advocating, not just from us but Canadians as well, they put something forward,” he said.

Khanna sees some elements of his bill in the Liberal legislation, which he considers a win. Still, he said there are parts of his bill that aren’t included, and maintains it should have been accepted in its entirety.

For instance, he said the principle of restraint, introduced by the Liberal Bill C-75 in 2019, made it mandatory for judges to release the accused under the least restrictive conditions at the earliest opportunity during bail hearings. The new Liberal legislation doesn’t go far enough on this issue, Khanna maintains.

“I called for getting rid of it altogether and instead have a principle of public safety as the primary consideration when considering bail,” he said.

He also said Bill C-75 doesn’t impose tougher bail compliance conditions or require judges to enforce them, and doesn’t mandate that judges consider a person’s criminal history when deciding on bail.

Asked if he would support C-14, Khanna said he will examine the legislation in more detail and then make a decision.

“There is no monopoly on good ideas,” he said.