Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2019-06-17 23:05:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Murray Rankin (Victoria, NDP)",
        "fr": "M. Murray Rankin (Victoria, NPD)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"5997742\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise, albeit at this hour, to discuss Bill <a data-HoCid=\"9745407\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-75/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-75</a> and the Senate amendments that have been brought to this place from there.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997743\" data-originallang=\"en\">I agree with the thrust of the Senate amendments on behalf of the New Democratic Party, which supports the thrust of those amendments, but reluctantly have to say that, as amended, we must oppose this bill for the reasons I will describe.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997744\" data-originallang=\"en\">I agree with the <a data-HoCid=\"245291\" href=\"/politicians/david-lametti/\" title=\"David Lametti\">Minister of Justice</a>, who spoke earlier, about some of the positive changes in this initiative. The bail reform provisions are exemplary. The intimate partner violence provisions are also very good. I am pleased that the Senate had the opportunity to deal with some of the recommendations by Judge Marion Buller, who, of course, chaired the inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. She had the benefit of testifying before the Senate committee and, in turn, it had the ability to reflect her wisdom. That finds its way into the amendments before us tonight. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997745\" data-originallang=\"en\">This improves the bill quite significantly, as I will describe, but there are some very significant issues that remain. I want to commend our colleagues in the other place for the work they have done to improve this flawed bill. We need to thank them for some of the work they had the opportunity to do. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997746\" data-originallang=\"en\">We too, on the NDP side, have done an enormous amount of research and consultation, with people from the criminal defence bar, academics, prosecutors, former deputy attorneys general and others. We have done our homework on Bill <a data-HoCid=\"9745407\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-75/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-75</a>. After all, it is a mammoth initiative, the most significant criminal justice reform bill in a very long time. Regrettably, as a result of those consultations, we concluded that we must continue to oppose the bill, for reasons I will describe in a moment.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997747\" data-originallang=\"en\">To be clear, we are in support of the amendments made by the Senate, yet decry the government's inadequate response to those amendments and ultimately have to therefore oppose the final bill as amended.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997748\" data-originallang=\"en\">To begin with, why was Bill <a data-HoCid=\"9745407\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-75/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-75</a> initiated? The <a data-HoCid=\"245291\" href=\"/politicians/david-lametti/\" title=\"David Lametti\">Minister of Justice</a> was clear about that in his remarks earlier. He alluded to the Askov case in the Supreme Court of Canada, and then, of course, the Jordan decision. The court said that there has to be a trial within a timely period, and it set down very specific limits for both indictable and summary conviction cases. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997749\" data-originallang=\"en\">The objective was one of efficiency. It was to try to make our courts more efficient to deal with the enormous and, quite frankly, embarrassing backlog we have with our court cases, and to deal with the consequence of the Jordan case. As we know, often people who are guilty of offences walk free because the courts are not able to give them a trial within a reasonable period. That has to be an embarrassment to all Canadians. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997750\" data-originallang=\"en\">Efficiency was the goal of this bill. However, after the consultation I just described, the debate in the House, and the work I was part of on the justice committee, where we heard a great variety of presentations, we concluded it is simply not an adequate response to the Jordan problem.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997751\" data-originallang=\"en\">As I alluded to earlier, there are some good things in this bill, which I will also refer to later. However, sadly some of the deeply problematic things continue in the bill. I want to talk, by way of giving illustrations, of the general concerns that the criminal justice bar has had with this bill. I will start Ms. Sayeh Hassan, who is a Toronto-based criminal defence lawyer. By way of summary, she said, \u201cWhile there are parts of Bill C-75 that have the potential for improving the criminal justice system, many other parts will not only be unhelpful when it comes to reducing delay but will also wipe out numerous rights currently afforded to an accused person.\u201d</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997752\" data-originallang=\"en\">The big ugly elephant in the room is the fact that the government chose to completely ignore what so many people have talked about, which is the need to get rid of mandatory minimum sentencing. We had a reasonable hope that it would do so. After all, the <a data-HoCid=\"214296\" href=\"/politicians/justin-trudeau/\" title=\"Justin Trudeau\">Prime Minister</a> told the former minister of justice that it was part of her mandate. Nothing happened.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997753\" data-originallang=\"en\">Sean Fine, of The Globe and Mail, wrote:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"5997754\" data-originallang=\"en\"> As far back as October, 2016, the [former attorney general] told the Criminal Lawyers' Association in a speech that she would change the minimum sentencing laws \u201cin the near future.\u201d Days later, she told The Globe that new legislation would be coming soon, \u201ccertainly in the early part of next year.\u201d </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"5997755\" data-originallang=\"en\">It never happened.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997756\" data-originallang=\"en\">Our colleagues in the other place made a similar observation. It is the fourth item on their list of formal observations. I think it is worth repeating what they summarized. Under \u201cMandatory Minimum Sentences\u201d, it says:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"5997757\" data-originallang=\"en\"> In its <em>Delaying Justice is Denying Justice</em> report, the Committee recommended that the Minister of Justice undertake a thorough review of existing mandatory minimum sentences in order to: ensure a reasonable, evidence-based approach to when they are appropriate; and consider whether persons with mental health issues should be considered for alternative sentencing options or treatment when faced with mandatory minimum sentences. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997758\" data-originallang=\"en\"> During its study of Bill C-75, some witnesses expressed significant disappointment that it does not include any reforms to the mandatory minimum sentencing provisions in the Criminal Code. In the Mandate Letter to the Minister of Justice...of 12 November 2015, [the Prime Minister] stated that the Minister...was to \u201cconduct a review of the changes in our criminal justice system and sentencing reforms over the past decade.\u201d In the Minister\u2019s letter to the Chair of the committee, he stated that the Government \u201cis committed to advancing sentencing reform\u201d and that it is \u201ccommitted to reviewing the mandatory minimum penalties in the Criminal Code with an eye to eliminating many of them and restoring judicial discretion.\u201d </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997759\" data-originallang=\"en\"> The committee [of the Senate] observes that the Government of Canada has had four years to bring forward amendments to these provisions in the Criminal Code and that, to date, no legislative action has been taken. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"5997760\" data-originallang=\"en\">I join with my colleagues in the other place in noting that the government's failure to address the often unconstitutional mandatory minimums cannot be understated. It is a serious problem.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997761\" data-originallang=\"en\">This led the Criminal Lawyers' Association to write in its position paper that \u201c[m]andatory minimum sentences frustrate the process of resolving cases by limiting the Crown\u2019s discretion to offer a penalty that will limit the Crown's ability\u201d\u2014 </p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"5997742\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, malgr\u00e9 l'heure, c'est avec plaisir que je prends la parole \u00e0 propos du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"9745407\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-75/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-75</a> et des amendements propos\u00e9s par le S\u00e9nat.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997743\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le Nouveau Parti d\u00e9mocratique appuie l'objectif de ces amendements, mais, h\u00e9las, je dois dire que nous devons nous opposer au projet de loi tel qu'amend\u00e9 pour les raisons que je vais d\u00e9crire.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997744\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je suis d'accord avec le <a data-HoCid=\"245291\" href=\"/politicians/david-lametti/\" title=\"David Lametti\">ministre de la Justice</a>, qui a pris la parole plus t\u00f4t, sur certains des changements positifs apport\u00e9s par cette mesure. Les dispositions touchant la r\u00e9forme du cautionnement sont exemplaires. Celles portant sur la violence commise contre un partenaire intime sont \u00e9galement tr\u00e8s bonnes. Je suis heureux que le S\u00e9nat ait eu l'occasion de se pencher sur certaines des recommandations de la juge Marion Buller, qui, comme nous le savons, a pr\u00e9sid\u00e9 l'enqu\u00eate sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues ou assassin\u00e9es. Elle a pu t\u00e9moigner devant le comit\u00e9 s\u00e9natorial qui, lui, a pu tenir compte de ses commentaires. Ces derniers se refl\u00e8tent dans les amendements dont nous sommes saisis.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997745\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le projet de loi est am\u00e9lior\u00e9 de mani\u00e8re consid\u00e9rable, mais certains probl\u00e8mes tr\u00e8s importants demeurent. Je tiens \u00e0 f\u00e9liciter nos coll\u00e8gues de l'autre endroit pour tout le travail qu'ils ont accompli afin d'am\u00e9liorer ce projet de loi boiteux. Il faut les remercier pour le travail qu'ils ont pu faire.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997746\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le NDP a aussi consacr\u00e9 \u00e9norm\u00e9ment de temps \u00e0 faire des recherches et \u00e0 consulter des avocats de la d\u00e9fense, des universitaires, des procureurs, d'anciens sous-procureurs g\u00e9n\u00e9raux et d'autres responsables. Nous avons fait nos devoirs \u00e0 l'\u00e9gard du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"9745407\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-75/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-75</a>. Apr\u00e8s tout, il s'agit d'une initiative titanesque, soit un projet de loi visant la plus importante r\u00e9forme du syst\u00e8me de justice p\u00e9nale jamais vue depuis tr\u00e8s longtemps. H\u00e9las, \u00e0 la suite de ces consultations, nous avons conclu que nous devions continuer de nous opposer au projet de loi, et ce, pour les raisons que je vais expliquer dans un instant.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997747\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je tiens \u00e0 pr\u00e9ciser que nous appuyons les amendements apport\u00e9s par le S\u00e9nat, mais nous d\u00e9plorons la r\u00e9action inad\u00e9quate du gouvernement \u00e0 ces amendements et devons donc nous opposer au projet de loi dans sa version modifi\u00e9e.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997748\" data-originallang=\"en\">Pour commencer, pourquoi le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"9745407\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-75/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">C-75</a> a-t-il \u00e9t\u00e9 pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 au juste? Dans le discours qu'il a prononc\u00e9 plus t\u00f4t, le <a data-HoCid=\"245291\" href=\"/politicians/david-lametti/\" title=\"David Lametti\">ministre de la Justice</a> en a donn\u00e9 clairement les raisons. Il a fait allusion aux d\u00e9cisions prises par la Cour supr\u00eame du Canada dans l'affaire Askov et, \u00e9videmment, dans l'arr\u00eat Jordan. La Cour a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 qu'un proc\u00e8s doit avoir lieu dans des d\u00e9lais tr\u00e8s pr\u00e9cis, tant dans les cas d'infractions punissables par mise en accusation que dans les cas d'infractions punissables sur d\u00e9claration de culpabilit\u00e9 par proc\u00e9dure sommaire.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997749\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le projet de loi avait pour objectif d'augmenter l'efficacit\u00e9. Il visait \u00e0 rendre nos tribunaux plus efficaces afin de traiter notre \u00e9norme arri\u00e9r\u00e9 qui est, tr\u00e8s franchement, embarrassant, et \u00e0 donner suite \u00e0 l'arr\u00eat Jordan. Comme nous le savons, les personnes coupables d'infractions sont souvent lib\u00e9r\u00e9es parce que les tribunaux ne sont pas en mesure de leur accorder un proc\u00e8s dans un d\u00e9lai raisonnable. La situation doit \u00eatre embarrassante pour tous les Canadiens.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997750\" data-originallang=\"en\">L'efficacit\u00e9 \u00e9tait l'objectif du projet de loi. Toutefois, apr\u00e8s la consultation que je viens de d\u00e9crire, le d\u00e9bat \u00e0 la Chambre et le travail effectu\u00e9 par le comit\u00e9 de la justice, qui a entendu divers t\u00e9moignages, nous avons conclu que la mesure ne repr\u00e9sentait tout simplement pas une r\u00e9ponse ad\u00e9quate au probl\u00e8me caus\u00e9 par l'arr\u00eat Jordan.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997751\" data-originallang=\"en\">Comme je l'ai indiqu\u00e9 plus t\u00f4t, le projet de loi comporte de bons points, dont je parlerai plus tard. Malheureusement, certains des \u00e9l\u00e9ments qui posent de graves probl\u00e8mes figurent toujours dans le projet de loi. Pour illustrer la situation, je vais parler des pr\u00e9occupations g\u00e9n\u00e9rales des avocats criminalistes concernant le projet de loi. Je vais commencer par Mme Sayeh Hassan, une avocate criminaliste bas\u00e9e \u00e0 Toronto. En guise de r\u00e9sum\u00e9, elle a dit: \u00ab M\u00eame si certaines dispositions du projet de loi C-75 pourraient am\u00e9liorer le syst\u00e8me de justice p\u00e9nale, dans bien d'autres cas, non seulement les mesures propos\u00e9es seront inefficaces lorsqu'il s'agit de r\u00e9duire les d\u00e9lais, mais elles auront \u00e9galement pour effet d'\u00e9liminer nombre de droits actuellement accord\u00e9s aux accus\u00e9s. \u00bb</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997752\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Le probl\u00e8me le plus flagrant, c'est que le gouvernement a choisi de ne pas tenir compte du tout d'un aspect dont bien des gens ont parl\u00e9, soit la n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 d'abolir les peines minimales obligatoires. Nous avions un espoir raisonnable qu'il le ferait. Apr\u00e8s tout, le <a data-HoCid=\"214296\" href=\"/politicians/justin-trudeau/\" title=\"Justin Trudeau\">premier ministre</a> avait dit \u00e0 l'ancienne ministre de la Justice que cela faisait partie de son mandat. Il ne s'est rien pass\u00e9.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997753\" data-originallang=\"en\">Sean Fine, du <em>Globe and Mail</em>, a \u00e9crit ceci:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"5997754\" data-originallang=\"en\"> D\u00e9j\u00e0 en octobre 2016, [l'ancienne ministre de la Justice] a dit, lors d'un discours devant l'Association des avocats criminalistes, qu'elle allait changer \u00ab prochainement \u00bb les dispositions l\u00e9gislatives concernant les peines minimales obligatoires. Quelques jours plus tard, elle a dit au <em>Globe and Mail</em> qu'on verrait bient\u00f4t les nouvelles dispositions l\u00e9gislatives et qu'elles seraient pr\u00e9sent\u00e9es \u00ab certainement au d\u00e9but de la prochaine ann\u00e9e \u00bb. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"5997755\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ce n'est jamais arriv\u00e9.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997756\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nos coll\u00e8gues de l'autre endroit ont fait une observation semblable. Il s'agit du quatri\u00e8me \u00e9l\u00e9ment sur leur liste d'observations officielles. Je crois qu'il vaut la peine de r\u00e9p\u00e9ter ce qu'ils ont r\u00e9sum\u00e9. Sous la rubrique \u00ab Peines minimales obligatoires \u00bb, il est indiqu\u00e9 ceci:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"5997757\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Dans son rapport <em>Justice diff\u00e9r\u00e9e, justice refus\u00e9e</em>, le comit\u00e9 recommandait au ministre de la Justice de proc\u00e9der \u00e0 un examen int\u00e9gral des peines minimales obligatoires afin: de d\u00e9gager des principes raisonnables bas\u00e9s sur des donn\u00e9es probantes pour d\u00e9terminer dans quelles circonstances elles sont appropri\u00e9es; d\u2019\u00e9valuer la possibilit\u00e9 de permettre au tribunal d\u2019y substituer d\u2019autres peines ou des traitements lorsque le contrevenant aux prises avec des probl\u00e8mes de sant\u00e9 mentale est passible d\u2019une peine minimale obligatoire. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997758\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Lors de son \u00e9tude du projet de loi C-75, des t\u00e9moins se sont dits tr\u00e8s d\u00e9\u00e7us qu\u2019il ne pr\u00e9voit aucune r\u00e9forme des dispositions du Code criminel relatives aux peines minimales obligatoires. Dans la lettre de mandat transmise au ministre de la Justice [...] du 12 novembre 2015, [le premier ministre] a clairement mentionn\u00e9 que le ministre [...] devait \u00ab r\u00e9viser les changements apport\u00e9s depuis dix ans \u00e0 notre syst\u00e8me de justice p\u00e9nale ainsi que les r\u00e9formes de la d\u00e9termination des peines apport\u00e9es au cours de la derni\u00e8re d\u00e9cennie \u00bb. Dans sa lettre au pr\u00e9sident du Comit\u00e9, le ministre a affirm\u00e9 qu\u2019il demeure \u00ab d\u00e9termin\u00e9 \u00e0 pr\u00e9senter une r\u00e9forme de la d\u00e9termination de la peine \u00bb et qu\u2019il est engag\u00e9 \u00ab \u00e0 proc\u00e9der \u00e0 une r\u00e9vision des peines minimales obligatoires pr\u00e9vues au Code criminel en vue d\u2019en \u00e9liminer un grand nombre et de r\u00e9tablir le pouvoir discr\u00e9tionnaire des juges \u00bb. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997759\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Le comit\u00e9 [s\u00e9natorial] constate que le gouvernement du Canada a eu quatre ans pour pr\u00e9senter des modifications \u00e0 ces dispositions du Code criminel et qu\u2019aucune mesure l\u00e9gislative n\u2019a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9pos\u00e9e \u00e0 ce jour. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"5997760\" data-originallang=\"en\">Comme mes coll\u00e8gues de l'autre endroit, je pense qu'on n'insistera jamais assez sur l'incapacit\u00e9 du gouvernement de r\u00e9gler la question des peines minimales obligatoires, qui sont souvent inconstitutionnelles. Il s'agit d'un grave probl\u00e8me.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5997761\" data-originallang=\"en\">La situation a d'ailleurs men\u00e9 l'Association des avocats criminalistes \u00e0 \u00e9crire, dans son expos\u00e9 de position, que \u00ab [l]es peines minimales obligatoires entravent l'efficacit\u00e9 du processus de r\u00e8glement des cas en limitant le pouvoir discr\u00e9tionnaire de la Couronne d'offrir une peine qui r\u00e9duira la capacit\u00e9 de la Couronne...</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2019/6/17/murray-rankin-3/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/murray-rankin/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4152/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "10714475",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Government Orders",
        "fr": "Ordres \u00e9manant du gouvernement"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Criminal Code",
        "fr": "Le Code criminel"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2019/6/17/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2019%2F6%2F17%2F"
    }
}