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Bail, Violent Crime and Repeat Offending

(Shared responsibilities with Public Safety Canada, Health Canada and Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities)

• The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that the criminal justice system effectively keeps everyone in Canada, and the communities they live in, safe.
• We need to ensure our bail system is working as intended. This means ensuring our bail laws keep people safe, strengthen public confidence in the justice system and respect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• As part of its efforts, the Government has made targeted changes to Canada’s Criminal Code to address challenges posed by repeat violent offending at the bail stage. These changes are the result of our close cooperation with all levels of government. They are also informed by engagement with other partners and stakeholders, including law enforcement and Indigenous partners.
• The 2024 Fall Economic Statement announced the government’s intention to amend the Criminal Code to make bail and sentencing laws stricter. This would enable it to better respond to the severity of auto theft, break and enter, extortion, and arson crimes committed by repeat, violent, and organized crime offenders.
• The Government is committed to addressing systemic discrimination in Canada’s criminal justice system. In developing these amendments, as with any changes that affect Canada’s justice system, the Government remains mindful of the potential impacts on Indigenous peoples, Black persons and members of vulnerable groups, who are already overrepresented in our criminal justice system.
• A safe and effective bail system requires close and effective collaboration across all levels of government. The safety of Canadian communities is a shared responsibility.

Court Delays

• Under the Canadian Constitution, provinces and territories are responsible for the administration of justice. Accordingly, they have a critical role to play in ensuring that the Charter-protected right of accused persons to be tried within a reasonable time is respected. These rights are guaranteed by the Charter.
• The Government of Canada recognizes that stays of proceedings for unreasonable delay can undermine public confidence in the administration of justice and can be devastating for victims of crime, including victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
• The government will continue to work in close collaboration with provincial and territorial officials to monitor this serious issue and address the multiple, complex underlying causes of delays in the criminal justice system.

Borders

(Shared responsibilities with Public Safety Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Boarder Services Agency, Global Affairs Canada, Canadian Security Intelligence Services, Communications Security Establishment, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, and Health Canada)

• Canada and the U.S. have one of the closest and most respected relationships in the world and we continue to work together to protect the security of our shared border while facilitating the secure transfer of services and goods.
• The Government of Canada is taking concrete action to keep communities safe on both sides of the border.
• This includes investing $1.3 billion to make our border stronger, with more personnel, advanced AI technology, new drones and helicopters, and stronger coordination between partners.

Lawful Access

(Shared responsibilities with Public Safety Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Security Intelligence Services and Communications Security Establishment)

• The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of ensuring that police have the investigative tools necessary to quickly and effectively investigate crime, including online child sexual exploitation.
• Ensuring that the government has modern investigative tools helps criminal investigations here at home but also supports our ability to work closely with our international partners, including U.S. law enforcement and security agencies in the context of securing the border, to effectively address transnational crime.
• The Government continues to work closely with provincial and territorial and law enforcement partners to address this issue.

Firearms

(Shared responsibilities with Public Safety)

• The safety and security of everyone in Canada is the government’s top priority, and it requires strong action to protect individuals from gun violence.
• Prohibiting assault-style firearms from Canadian communities is one of the key ways to prevent gun violence and crime.
• Since May 1, 2020, the Government of Canada has taken action to prohibit what is now over 2,500 models of assault-style firearms, including an additional 324 makes and models in December 2024 and another 179 unique models in March 2025.
• The Government has introduced an Amnesty Order that protects individuals who legally possessed these firearms prior to the ban from criminal liability, while they take steps to come into compliance with the law.

Canada’s Black Justice Strategy

• Canada’s Black Justice Strategy’s Implementation Plan, “Toward Transformative Change: an Implementation Plan for Canada’s Black Justice Strategy” was released in February 2025. It is a 10-year whole-of-government approach involving Black communities and Black leaders to reduce the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system, including as victims of crime.
• Backed by the 2024 Fall Economic Statement, it is the federal government’s response to the Steering Group’s report, “A Roadmap for Transformative Change” released in June 2024.
• The initiatives include: expanding the use of Impact of Race and Culture Assessment reports; supports for Black victims and survivors of crime; Black-specific diversion programs for youth; court worker/navigation services; and more.

Indigenous Justice Strategy

• The Indigenous Justice Strategy is a crucial step in advancing transformative reforms across the criminal justice system.
• Developed in consultation and cooperation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, the Strategy aims to address systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the justice system, as both victims and offenders.
• It provides a vehicle to further advance First Nations, Inuit and Métis self-determination, and the revitalization of their respective laws, legal systems and traditions.
• Budget 2024 and other existing resources helped fund the initial work to advance the Strategy.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Implementation

• The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which became law in June 2021, provides a lasting framework to advance Canada’s implementation of the UN Declaration, including ensuring that Canada’s laws are consistent with the UN Declaration.
• The UN Declaration Act Action Plan, released in June 2023, seeks to uphold and advance the human rights of Indigenous peoples, address injustices, prejudice, violence, systemic racism and discrimination, and monitor implementation of the Action Plan.
• The Government of Canada is committed to fully implementing the Action Plan and to continue working with Indigenous peoples to advance transformative change and reconciliation.

Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission

• All people in Canada must have confidence in the justice system knowing that it is there to protect them. While rare, miscarriages of justices do occur and can be discovered after the criminal court processes conclude.
• The establishment of the Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission in Winnipeg is an important commitment by the Government to make the justice system equitable and more responsive to the needs of people in Canada.
• We recently announced key milestones to establish the new Commission and move ahead with the appointment of the Chief Commissioner and commissioners, the hiring of staff, and the development of procedures and protocol.
• Once the Commission becomes fully operational, independent commissioners will review, investigate and decide which criminal cases should be returned to the justice system due to a potential wrongful conviction.
• The new Commission will replace the current ministerial review process. Until it is fully operational, the Criminal Conviction Review Group in the Department of Justice will continue to process applications.

Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance

• Canada is a country governed by the rule of law. Extradition in Canada is guided by the Extradition Act, international treaties and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. All individuals are afforded fair treatment and due process.
• Canada’s extradition involves balancing our international obligations to bring persons wanted for prosecution or sentencing to justice in the country in which the alleged crime was committed, while safeguarding the rights and interests of the person sought for extradition.

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English Montreal School Board/Hak Litigation – Notwithstanding Clause

• This Government is firmly committed to defending the rights and freedoms protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including freedom of religion and the right to equality.
• Given the issues of national importance it raises, we have filed an intervention in this case and will be there, in front of the Supreme Court of Canada, to defend Charter-protected rights.
• This case touches on fundamental freedoms and rights and the interpretation and application of the Charter. The government is firmly committed to engage in these important national discussions that have broad implications for all Canadians.
• As the government has stated before, it has serious concerns with the increased use of the Notwithstanding Clause, section 33 of the Charter. Every Canadian, no matter their province or territory of residence, should feel confident that the federal government recognizes and respects their rights.

Online Harms and Hate Crimes

(Shared responsibilities with Canadian Heritage Canada and Public Safety Canada)

• The Government of Canada is committed and wishes to keep everyone in Canada safe, both online and in their communities. Discrimination and hate in any form are unacceptable and go against Canada’s values of equality, inclusion, and respect for diversity.
• There is a growing concern about the rise in hate crimes in Canada and the government recognizes the urgent need for national leadership to ensure people in Canada are safe in their places of worship, schools, and communities.
• While Canada has a strong criminal law framework to combat hate speech and hate crimes, the Government is considering legislative and other actions to address the rise in hate.
• This includes examining, in consultation with provinces and territories, potential reforms to the Criminal Code to strengthen tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to address hate crimes, notably in the areas of: access to religious and cultural buildings; extreme forms of hate speech; display of terror symbols; and impediments to the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.
• The Government is also committed to looking at ways to build capacity, including through the development of resources and training, to support successful investigations and prosecutions of hate crimes.

Judicial Appointments

• Filling judicial vacancies by appointing exceptional judges in a timely manner contributes to the effective and efficient operation of courts, increasing access to justice for all Canadians.
• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 850 judges since November 2015, a pace of appointments that has no precedent in Canadian history.

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)

• Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a complex and deeply personal issue. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring federal MAID legislation reflects Canadians’ evolving needs, protects those who may be vulnerable, and supports their autonomy and freedom of choice.
• In October 2024, Ǫuébec legalized the implementation of advance requests for MAID for Ǫuébec residents (former Bill 11). While the Government of Canada understands Ǫuébec’s interest in this matter, the Criminal Code does not permit the provision of MAID based on an advance request.
• As the Criminal Code applies uniformly across Canada, providing MAID pursuant to an advance request remains an offence under the Criminal Code.
• The Government recently launched a national conversation on advance requests, and Health Canada will be publishing a report on key findings.
• The issue of advance requests is complex, warranting consultations and study with the provinces and territories, the medical community and other experts. The Government of Canada is committed to working with all jurisdictions, including Ǫuébec, as well as listening to the people of Canada about this important and complex issue.

Mackinnon v. Canada

(Democratic Institutions is lead department)

• The Federal Court found that the prorogation was lawful. The government is carefully reviewing the decision, and has no further comment at this time.

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