Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2026-06-09 18:15:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ned Kuruc (Hamilton East\u2014Stoney Creek, CPC)",
        "fr": "Ned Kuruc (Hamilton-Est\u2014Stoney Creek, PCC)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"9391965\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this House today to speak to legislation that would help restore Canadians' confidence in our criminal justice system and the institutions responsible for keeping our communities safe.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391966\" data-originallang=\"en\">My colleague from <a data-HoCid=\"318134\" href=\"/politicians/tony-baldinelli/\" title=\"Tony Baldinelli\">Niagara Falls\u2014Niagara-on-the-Lake</a> introduced Bill <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C-232</a> after hearing directly from the loved ones of victims who were stunned and outraged by a phone call they received from the Correctional Service of Canada, which informed them that Paul Bernardo, a convicted serial killer and rapist, was being transferred from a maximum-security institution in Ontario to a medium-security institution in Quebec. Like many Canadians, they could not understand how such a decision could be made. They felt betrayed by a system that seemed to place the interests of dangerous offenders ahead of the rights, concerns and dignity of the victims and their families.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391967\" data-originallang=\"en\">The legislation is about accountability, transparency and ensuring that victims are never treated as an afterthought. Canadians deserve to have the confidence that our justice system puts public safety first and respects those who have suffered the most at the hands of violent criminals.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391968\" data-originallang=\"en\"> The decision to move Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security institution to a medium-security institution not only left the country shocked, but revictimized the victims' families, friends and communities. As a member of Parliament from the Niagara area, or my riding of Hamilton East\u2014Stoney Creek, specifically, which is close to the member's riding and the GTA, this bill hits home. I am sure it does for many around the GTA. The lasting memories of the atrocities Paul Bernardo committed are still felt around our region.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391969\" data-originallang=\"en\">That is why we have introduced Bill <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C-232</a>. It is to fix a problem that should never have existed in the first place. Canadians expect that the country's most dangerous criminals, who have committed horrific acts and been designated by the courts as dangerous offenders, are to remain in maximum-security institutions, yet under the current system, offenders such as Paul Bernardo have been permitted to move from a maximum-security institution to a less restrictive one. That is not what victims' families expect. It is not what Canadians expect. This bill would ensure that dangerous offenders and mass murderers remain where they belong: in maximum-security prisons. It would require that all of these offenders be permanently classified as maximum security and housed accordingly.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391970\" data-originallang=\"en\">The bill would also reverse the Liberals' so-called \u201cleast restrictive environment\u201d standard that was introduced in Bill <a data-HoCid=\"10078426\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-83/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and another Act\">C-83</a> in 2018. The Liberals' soft-on-crime policies have shifted the focus away from public safety and victims and toward the interests of offenders. It is time to put public safety and victims at the top of the priority list again. Canadians want a justice system that puts public safety first and respects victims and their families, and they want common-sense rules that ensure that the worst offenders face consequences reflecting the severity of their crimes. That is exactly what Bill <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C-232</a> seeks to accomplish.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391971\" data-originallang=\"en\">In addition to reversing the Liberals' weak policies, Bill <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C-232</a> would restore a more balanced and common-sense approach to corrections by bringing back the principle of \u201conly the necessary restrictions\u201d that was established by the previous Conservative government through the Safe Streets and Communities Act of 2012. That legislation recognized the simple but important reality that the primary responsibility of our correctional system is to protect the public, maintain safety and security and ensure that offenders are held appropriately accountable for their actions. One would think that is a common-sense statement, but the Liberal government has been moving further and further away from that since it introduced Bill <a data-HoCid=\"10078426\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-83/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and another Act\">C-83</a> in 2018, which placed greater emphasis on providing offenders with the least restrictive conditions possible.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391972\" data-originallang=\"en\">Bill <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C-232</a> would help restore the balance that Canadians expect, put public safety back at the centre of correctional decision-making and ensure that the rights of victims and the concerns of Canadians are not overshadowed by the interests of violent offenders.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391973\" data-originallang=\"en\"> This bill has found support across the board from both the police and victim advocates. Marcia Penner, the victim's rights advocate and friend of Kristen French, one of Paul Bernardo's victims, said:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"9391974\" data-originallang=\"en\"> As someone whose life has been forever impacted by violent crime, I know first-hand that victims and their families carry the consequences of these horrific acts every day. Canadians expect the most dangerous offenders to remain in maximum-security institutions, and Bill C-232 helps restore that common-sense principle while respecting the voices of victims. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"9391975\" data-originallang=\"en\">Chief of Police Bill Fordy, of the Niagara Regional Police Service, said:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"9391976\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Community safety is strengthened when we continue to have thoughtful conversations about how our justice system responds to serious and repeat offenders. Police officers see every day the impact violent crime can have on victims and our entire community, which is why these discussions matter. Our focus remains on protecting the public while supporting victims and maintaining confidence in the justice system. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"9391977\" data-originallang=\"en\">Enough is enough. For too long, victims' families have felt ignored by a system that seems more concerned with the rights of offenders than with the pain left behind by their crimes. Every time a dangerous offender is rewarded with a transfer to a less restrictive institution, victims' families are forced to relive the worst moments of their lives. They are reminded that their loved ones will never come home, while the person responsible continues to receive privileges and consideration from the very system that failed them. This is not justice.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391978\" data-originallang=\"en\">Canadians understand that individuals like Paul Bernardo committed crimes so horrific that they forever changed the lives of countless families. Those families deserve to know that the people responsible will remain in maximum-security custody, where they belong.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391979\" data-originallang=\"en\">I stand here today because I promised the families in my community that I would do everything in my power to make it safer. I promised them that their voices would be heard in this chamber.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391980\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Bill <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C\u2011232</a> is about restoring faith in our institutions. putting public safety first and ensuring that victims and their families are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. I ask all members of the House to join me in supporting this legislation. Together, we can send the clear message that victims matter and public safety matters, and some crimes are so horrific that the offenders responsible should never be rewarded with less restrictive conditions.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391981\" data-originallang=\"en\">Most importantly, we can honour the memories of those whose lives were taken far too soon and stand with the families who continue to carry that loss every single day.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"9391965\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, c'est un honneur de prendre la parole \u00e0 la Chambre aujourd'hui au sujet d'un projet de loi qui contribuerait \u00e0 r\u00e9tablir la confiance des Canadiens dans le syst\u00e8me de justice p\u00e9nale et dans les institutions charg\u00e9es d'assurer la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 des collectivit\u00e9s.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391966\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mon coll\u00e8gue de <a data-HoCid=\"318134\" href=\"/politicians/tony-baldinelli/\" title=\"Tony Baldinelli\">Niagara Falls\u2014Niagara-on-the-Lake</a> a pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C\u2011232</a> apr\u00e8s des contacts directs avec des proches de victimes qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 stup\u00e9faits et outr\u00e9s par un appel t\u00e9l\u00e9phonique qu'ils ont re\u00e7u du Service correctionnel du Canada, qui les a inform\u00e9s que Paul Bernardo, un tueur en s\u00e9rie et violeur condamn\u00e9, \u00e9tait transf\u00e9r\u00e9 d'un \u00e9tablissement \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 maximale en Ontario \u00e0 un \u00e9tablissement \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 moyenne au Qu\u00e9bec. Comme beaucoup de Canadiens, ils ne comprenaient pas comment on pouvait prendre une telle d\u00e9cision. Ils se sentaient trahis par un syst\u00e8me qui semblait faire passer les int\u00e9r\u00eats des d\u00e9linquants dangereux avant les droits, les inqui\u00e9tudes et la dignit\u00e9 des victimes et de leurs familles.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391967\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le projet de loi porte sur la responsabilit\u00e9 et la transparence, et il vise \u00e0 ce que les victimes ne soient jamais rel\u00e9gu\u00e9es au second plan. Les Canadiens m\u00e9ritent d'avoir l'assurance que le syst\u00e8me de justice accorde la priorit\u00e9 \u00e0 la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique et respecte ceux qui ont le plus souffert aux mains de criminels violents.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391968\" data-originallang=\"en\">La d\u00e9cision de transf\u00e9rer Paul Bernardo d'un \u00e9tablissement \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 maximale vers un \u00e9tablissement \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 moyenne a choqu\u00e9 le pays, mais elle a \u00e9galement fait revivre le traumatisme aux familles, aux amis et aux collectivit\u00e9s des victimes. \u00c0 titre de d\u00e9put\u00e9 de la r\u00e9gion de Niagara \u2014 ou, plus pr\u00e9cis\u00e9ment, de ma circonscription, Hamilton-Est\u2014Stoney Creek, qui est proche de celle du d\u00e9put\u00e9 et de la r\u00e9gion du Grand Toronto \u2014, ce projet de loi me touche de pr\u00e8s. Je suis s\u00fbr qu'il touche \u00e9galement de nombreuses personnes dans la r\u00e9gion du Grand Toronto. Les souvenirs tenaces des atrocit\u00e9s commises par Paul Bernardo sont encore pr\u00e9sents dans notre r\u00e9gion.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391969\" data-originallang=\"en\">C'est pourquoi nous avons pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C\u2011232</a>. Il vise \u00e0 rem\u00e9dier \u00e0 un probl\u00e8me qui n'aurait jamais d\u00fb exister. Les Canadiens s'attendent \u00e0 ce que les criminels les plus dangereux du pays, qui ont commis des actes horribles et ont \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9sign\u00e9s par les tribunaux comme des d\u00e9linquants dangereux, restent dans des \u00e9tablissements \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 maximale. Or, dans le syst\u00e8me actuel, des d\u00e9linquants comme Paul Bernardo ont \u00e9t\u00e9 autoris\u00e9s \u00e0 passer d'un \u00e9tablissement \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 maximale \u00e0 un \u00e9tablissement moins restrictif. Ce n'est pas ce \u00e0 quoi s'attendent les familles des victimes. Ce n'est pas ce \u00e0 quoi s'attendent les Canadiens. Le projet de loi garantirait que les d\u00e9linquants dangereux et les tueurs en s\u00e9rie restent l\u00e0 o\u00f9 ils doivent \u00eatre: dans des prisons \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 maximale. Il exigerait que tous ces d\u00e9linquants se voient attribuer la cote de s\u00e9curit\u00e9 maximale de fa\u00e7on permanente et qu'ils soient incarc\u00e9r\u00e9s en cons\u00e9quence.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391970\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le projet de loi \u00e9liminerait \u00e9galement le crit\u00e8re relatif \u00e0 \u00ab l'environnement le moins restrictif possible \u00bb, qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 introduit par les lib\u00e9raux dans le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"10078426\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-83/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and another Act\">C\u201183</a> en 2018. Les politiques laxistes des lib\u00e9raux en mati\u00e8re de criminalit\u00e9 ont d\u00e9tourn\u00e9 l'attention de la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique et des victimes pour la porter sur les int\u00e9r\u00eats des d\u00e9linquants. Il est temps de remettre la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique et les victimes en t\u00eate de la liste des priorit\u00e9s. Les Canadiens veulent un syst\u00e8me de justice qui accorde la priorit\u00e9 \u00e0 la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique et qui respecte les victimes et leur famille, et ils veulent des r\u00e8gles sens\u00e9es qui garantissent que les pires d\u00e9linquants subissent des cons\u00e9quences proportionnelles \u00e0 la gravit\u00e9 de leurs crimes. C'est exactement ce que le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C\u2011232</a> vise \u00e0 accomplir.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391971\" data-originallang=\"en\">En plus de renverser les politiques laxistes des lib\u00e9raux, le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C\u2011232</a> r\u00e9tablirait une approche plus \u00e9quilibr\u00e9e et sens\u00e9e en mati\u00e8re de services correctionnels en r\u00e9tintroduisant le principe des \u00ab restrictions strictement n\u00e9cessaires \u00bb, qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 instaur\u00e9 par le gouvernement conservateur pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent dans le cadre de la Loi sur la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 des rues et des communaut\u00e9s de 2012. Cette mesure l\u00e9gislative reconnaissait une r\u00e9alit\u00e9 simple, mais importante, \u00e0 savoir que la responsabilit\u00e9 premi\u00e8re de notre syst\u00e8me correctionnel est de prot\u00e9ger le public, d'assurer la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 et de veiller \u00e0 ce que les d\u00e9linquants soient tenus responsables de leurs actes comme il se doit. On pourrait penser que c'est une d\u00e9claration pleine de bon sens, mais le gouvernement lib\u00e9ral s'en \u00e9loigne de plus en plus depuis qu'il a pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"10078426\" href=\"/bills/42-1/C-83/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and another Act\">C\u201183</a>, en 2018, qui mettait davantage l'accent sur les conditions les moins restrictives possible pour les d\u00e9linquants.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391972\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C\u2011232</a> contribuerait \u00e0 r\u00e9tablir l'\u00e9quilibre auquel les Canadiens s'attendent. Il remettrait la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique au centre du processus d\u00e9cisionnel dans le secteur correctionnel et il ferait en sorte que les droits des victimes et les pr\u00e9occupations des Canadiens ne soient pas \u00e9clips\u00e9s par les int\u00e9r\u00eats des d\u00e9linquants violents.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391973\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ce projet de loi est accueilli favorablement par les forces polici\u00e8res et les d\u00e9fenseurs des droits des victimes. Voici ce qu'a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Marcia Penner, d\u00e9fenseure des droits des victimes et amie de Kristen French, l'une des victimes de Paul Bernardo:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"9391974\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Je fais partie des personnes dont la vie a \u00e9t\u00e9 boulevers\u00e9e \u00e0 jamais par un crime violent. Je sais d'exp\u00e9rience que les victimes et leur famille subissent les cons\u00e9quences de ces actes horribles tous les jours. Les Canadiens s'attendent \u00e0 ce que les d\u00e9linquants les plus dangereux restent dans des \u00e9tablissements \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 maximale. Le projet de loi C\u2011232 contribue au r\u00e9tablissement de ce principe plein de bon sens tout en respectant la voix des victimes. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"9391975\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le chef du service de police r\u00e9gional de Niagara, Bill Fordy, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 ceci:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"9391976\" data-originallang=\"en\"> La s\u00e9curit\u00e9 communautaire est renforc\u00e9e lorsque nous continuons \u00e0 mener des discussions r\u00e9fl\u00e9chies sur la mani\u00e8re dont notre syst\u00e8me judiciaire traite les d\u00e9linquants dangereux et r\u00e9cidivistes. Les policiers constatent chaque jour l'effet que les crimes violents peuvent avoir sur les victimes et sur l'ensemble de notre collectivit\u00e9, et c'est pour cela que ces discussions sont importantes. Notre priorit\u00e9 reste de prot\u00e9ger le public tout en soutenant les victimes et en pr\u00e9servant la confiance dans le syst\u00e8me judiciaire. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"9391977\" data-originallang=\"en\">Assez, c'est assez. Depuis trop longtemps, les familles des victimes se sentent abandonn\u00e9es par un syst\u00e8me qui semble se pr\u00e9occuper davantage des droits des d\u00e9linquants que de la douleur caus\u00e9e par leurs crimes. Chaque fois qu'un d\u00e9linquant dangereux est r\u00e9compens\u00e9 par un transf\u00e8rement dans un \u00e9tablissement moins restrictif, les familles des victimes sont oblig\u00e9es de revivre les pires moments de leur vie. Cela leur rappelle que leurs proches ne rentreront jamais \u00e0 la maison, tandis que la personne responsable continue de b\u00e9n\u00e9ficier des privil\u00e8ges et des \u00e9gards que lui accorde le syst\u00e8me qui les a laiss\u00e9es tomber. Ce n'est pas ce que j'appelle de la justice.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391978\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les Canadiens comprennent que les gens comme Paul Bernardo ont commis des crimes si horribles qu'ils ont chang\u00e9 \u00e0 jamais la vie d'innombrables familles. Ces familles m\u00e9ritent d'avoir l'assurance que les personnes responsables resteront comme il se doit dans des \u00e9tablissements \u00e0 s\u00e9curit\u00e9 maximale.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391979\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je prends la parole ici aujourd'hui parce que j'ai promis aux familles de ma collectivit\u00e9 que je ferais tout en mon pouvoir pour la rendre plus s\u00fbre. Je leur ai promis que leur voix serait entendue \u00e0 la Chambre des communes.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391980\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"13585516\" href=\"/bills/45-1/C-232/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)\">C\u2011232</a> vise \u00e0 r\u00e9tablir la confiance envers nos institutions, \u00e0 faire passer la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique en premier et \u00e0 veiller \u00e0 ce que les victimes et leur famille soient trait\u00e9es avec la dignit\u00e9 et le respect qu'elles m\u00e9ritent. Je demande \u00e0 tous les d\u00e9put\u00e9s de se joindre \u00e0 moi pour appuyer ce projet de loi. Ensemble, nous pouvons signaler clairement que les victimes sont importantes, que la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 publique est importante, et que certains crimes sont tellement horribles qu'on ne devrait jamais r\u00e9compenser les d\u00e9linquants qui les ont commis en leur accordant des conditions moins restrictives.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"9391981\" data-originallang=\"en\">Plus important encore, c'est une fa\u00e7on d'honorer la m\u00e9moire des personnes dont la vie a \u00e9t\u00e9 fauch\u00e9e beaucoup trop t\u00f4t et de soutenir les familles qui continuent de porter ce deuil chaque jour.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2026/6/9/ned-kuruc-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/ned-kuruc/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4744/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "13566045",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Private Members' Business",
        "fr": "Affaires \u00e9manant des d\u00e9put\u00e9s"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Corrections and Conditional Release Act",
        "fr": "La Loi sur le syst\u00e8me correctionnel et la mise en libert\u00e9 sous condition"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2026/6/9/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2026%2F6%2F9%2F"
    }
}