Feds willing to consider tougher bail rules pushed by provinces

Plans are in the works for a meeting of Canada’s justice ministers on March 10 in Ottawa to discuss tougher rules for people seeking bail.

Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen says the date was contained in an email Thursday from the office of federal Justice Minister David Lametti.

The premiers have called on the federal government to establish a “reverse onus” system for specific firearm offences that would require the person seeking bail to demonstrate why they should not remain behind bars.

Lametti said earlier this month he would give the idea serious consideration and that it would be discussed at a meeting with provincial and territorial ministers.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan want bail reform to go further.

They want people who commit violent offences with knives and modified bear spray to also face more stringent conditions when they apply for bail.

“Those are specific concerns that are happening in Winnipeg and Manitoba, where we’re seeing significant violent offences with edged weapons and modified bear spray,” Goertzen said Thursday.

Critics have been pushing the federal government to change a law it passed in 2019 that updated bail provisions in the Criminal Code.

Known as Bill C-75, it codified a “principle of restraint” that was affirmed in a 2017 Supreme Court of Canada case that emphasized the release of detainees at the earliest reasonable opportunity and on the least onerous conditions, based on the circumstances of each case.

Police were also granted more power to place conditions on accused people to streamline the bail process and reduce the number of needed court appearances.