Toughening Canada’s approach to criminals was one of the major legislative thrusts of the Harper Conservatives. A Conservative party backgrounder released during the 2015 federal election campaign lists the bills they introduced and passed into law from 2
Bill C- 25: Truth in Sentencing Act > Ended 2- for-1 credit for time served in pre- trial custody Bill C- 59: Abolition of Early Parole Act > Strengthened sentencing and monitoring of high- risk offenders Bill C- 56: Statutory Release Reform Act > Ended automatic statutory release for repeat violent offenders Bill C- 26: Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act Bill C-14 > Created new offences: aggravated assault against a peace or public officer, assault with a weapon on a peace or public officer Bill C- 2: Fair and Efficient Criminal Trials Act > Reforms to how large, complex cases — drug trafficking, white- collar crime, terrorism, gang- related activity — are handled
Bill C- 2: Tackling Violent Crime Act > Created a presumption of dangerous offender status with respect to certain violent, repeat offenders
Bill C- 293, C- 483: An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act > Reduced vexatious complaints from parolees > Granted the Parole Board authority to grant or cancel escorted temporary absence for offenders
Bill C-36: Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act > Introduced legislation making it illegal for anyone to purchase sexual services while protecting those who sell their own sexual services from criminal liability.
Bill C- 2: Tackling Violent Crime Act > Increased the age of protection for sexual activity from 14 years to 16 years
Bill S- 2: Protecting Victims from Sex Offenders Act > Strengthened the National Sex Offender Registry and the National DNA Data Bank to better protect our children and our communities from sexual predators
Bill C-13: Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act> Introduced measures allowing courts to order the removal of unlawfully shared intimate images from the internet. > Implemented new sentences for child exploitation and added measures to protect children from online sexual exploitation
Bill S-7: Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act
Bill C-32: Victims Bill of Rights Act > Introduced measures against elder abuse and financial exploitation of seniors
Bill C- 26: Citizen’s Arrest and Self- Defence Act
Bill C- 21: Standing up for Victims of White- Collar Crime Act
Bill C-37: Increasing Offenders’ Accountability for Victims Act > Doubled the victim surcharge and ensured it cannot be waived
Bill C-14: Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act
Bill C-13: Established the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime to provide information on victims’ rights and services for victims, to receive complaints and to raise awareness of victims’ concerns among policy makers and in the justice system
Bill C-37: Increasing Offenders’ Accountability for Victims Act > Doubled the victim surcharge and ensured it cannot be waived
Bill C- 52: Created and sup-
ported a federal Victims Strategy and Victims Fund
Bill C- 2: Respect for Communities Act > Required community consultation when supervised illegal drug-injection sites attempt to open in Canadian communities
Bill C- 52: Budget Implementation Act 2007 > Established the National Anti- Drug Strategy to combat illicit drug use among Canadians, primarily youth.
Bill C-12: Drug Free Prisons Act > Introduced measures to require the Parole Board of Canada to cancel parole granted to an offender if they fail a drug test before release
Bill C- 43: Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act
Bill C-10: Safe Streets and Communities Act > Ended house arrest for property and other serious crimes > Prevented most serious criminals from seeking a pardon > Required courts to consider adult sentences for youth convicted of the most serious crimes murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and aggravated sexual assault
Bill C-309: Preventing Persons from Concealing Their Identity during Riots and Unlawful Assemblies Act).
Bill C-31: Eliminating Entitlements for Prisoners Act
Bill C- 53: Life means Life Act Bill S- 6: Serious Time for the Most Serious Crime Act > Abolished faint hope clause allowing early parole for murderers Bill C- 22: An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service
Bill C- 48: Protecting Canadians by Ending Sentence Discounts for Multiple Murders Act Bill C- 587: Respecting Families of Murdered and Brutalized Persons Act Bill C- 26: Tougher penalties for Child Predators Act
Acts amending Criminal Code
Bill C- 444: Made impersonating a peace officer an aggravating factor at sentencing
Bill C-13: Increased maximum fine for summary convictions from $ 2,000 to $ 5,000
Bill C- 9: Prohibiting conditional sentences for those convicted of impaired driving causing bodily harm or death
Bill C-310: Allowed Canadian citizens to be prosecuted in Canada for human trafficking, even if the trafficking occurred outside of Canada
Bill C- 277: Increased the maximum penalties for child luring from 5 to 10 years.
Bill C-14 : Made all murders committed in connection with organized crime first- degree murder > Implemented mandatory prison sentences for drive- by or reckless shootings
Bill C-394: Introduced tougher penalties against gang recruitment
Bill C- 475: An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act ( methamphetamine and ecstasy)
Bill S-221: An act to amend the criminal code: Assaults Against Public Transit Operators
Bill C- 217: Created an offence in regards to mischief relating to war memorials
Bill C- 59: Cracked down on unauthorized movie recordings