Poilievre Says Federal Bail Policies Need to Be Reversed in Light of Police Officer’s Killing

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre rises during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Sept. 28, 2022. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said on Dec. 30 that the Liberal government’s reform of bail policies have made the country less safe and should be reversed in light of the death of a police officer at the alleged hands of a repeat offender.

Canada should “keep the small number of repeat habitual violent offenders behind bars and when they are newly arrested, deny them bail until such time as their trials are completed in cases where the accused has a long track record of previous violent convictions,” Poilievre said in a press conference in Ottawa.

The Conservative leader highlighted Bill C-75, which became law in 2019, as the piece of legislation that enshrined what he called the Liberals’ “easy catch and release bail policies.”

The bill amended the criminal code to favour release at the earliest opportunity over detention. It also requires that the circumstances of the Indigenous accused or the accused from “vulnerable populations” be considered at bail to mitigate the impact of the bail system on these populations.

Poilievre raised the issue in relation to the shooting death of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) constable  Grzegorz Pierzchala on Dec. 27.

One of the suspects, Randall McKenzie of Mississauga of the New Credit First Nation, was a repeat violent offender out on bail.

Poilievre was asked to respond to criticism saying that stricter bail conditions penalize poorer Canadians.

“Those communities are disproportionately the victims of crime, and when a violent offender goes back onto the streets after having committed multiple offences, it’s likely to be the poorest and most vulnerable that will be the victims of his predation,” he said.

He added that bail should be kept for minor offences or for individuals without a history of recidivism.

Poilievre also blamed the Trudeau government’s policies for the general increase in crime rates.

Statistics Canada said in a November report that the gang-related homicides in 2021 were the highest since 2005 with a count of 184.

Poilievre says the prime minister’s response to rising crime has been to “fear monger against hunters, against rural Canadians, by pledging to ban hunting rifles.”

“There is exactly zero evidence that banning hunting rifles will combat any of these crimes.”

This was in relation to the Liberals inserting amendments to Bill C-21 in late November to add a number of rifles used for hunting to the prohibited firearms list, along with an evergreen definition to target all what the government calls “assault-style” firearms.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique also came out against the current bail policies.

“McKenzie was out on bail and able to take the life of an innocent officer. This should have never happened,” he said on Dec. 29.

“Something needs to change. Our police officers, your police officers, my police officers, the public deserve to be safeguarded against violent offenders who are charged with firearms-related offences.”

Along with bail reform in 2019, new legislation tabled by the Liberals and recently adopted removes mandatory minimum sentences for a number of firearms-related offences, such as robbery with a firearm.

Bill C-5 received royal assent in November and has been presented as a measure to combat “systemic racism” with the stated objective to reduce the proportion of Indigenous and Black people in prison.

Marnie Cathcart contributed to this report.