A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer stands guard outside the Senate of Canada prior to the Speech from the Throne September 23, 2020 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Updated: July 18, 2023
The union representing members of the RCMP is calling on the federal government to implement a number of bail reform measures to address rising crime rates in Canada’s major cities and improve safety for police officers.
Brian Sauvé, president and CEO of the National Police Federation (NPF), outlined seven recommendations in a July 12 discussion paper that the union has brought before the federal government.
Mr. Sauvé told reporters in Ottawa on July 18 that the NPF is also calling on provincial and territorial governments to “commit to smarter bail reforms that go beyond legislation and that the federal government immediately clarify the ongoing assessment and its intentions.”
The NPF’s seven recommendations on bail reform include calling on Ottawa to establish a “national standing committee on Canadian criminal justice system data sharing,” which would collect information on current crime trends and publish reports on them with recommended actions for the federal government.
The union is also calling on Ottawa and the provincial governments to invest in technologies that have been “proven effective at monitoring bail condition compliance,” and is also calling for tighter regulations over jurisdictions that use a Justice of the Peace to preside over bail hearings.
NPF further says that the federal government should begin a “national, systematic study” to pinpoint and implement the most effective bail provisions, adding that the province and territories should commit more of their resources toward data collection that can be used in bail decisions.
Bail Reform
NPF’s last two recommendations are that all governments should commit to “evidence-informed bail reforms” rather than offering monetary bail deposits and sureties and that all governments should “invest in creating a community bail enforcement monitoring system, involving dedicated law enforcement units.”
The union’s call for bail reform measures comes just over two months after the federal government tabled Bill C-48, which proposes a number of changes to Canada’s Criminal Code and the federal bail system.
Among other changes to the code, the proposed legislation would also require federal courts to consider an accused person’s violent criminal history and community safety record when making bail decisions.
Mr. Sauvé told reporters on July 18 that while the NPF welcomes the changes proposed in Bill C-48, the legislation “cannot be the only solution.”
“Provincial and territorial governments must now look at their own justice systems and make needed improvements,” he said. “Our justice system is complex, with many interrelated challenges and flaws that cannot be addressed through legislation alone.”
“Our criminal justice system basically needs better data and information to identify, address, and mitigate future risks through informed decision making.”