(Ottawa) The federal Liberals are expected to introduce a bill in the House of Commons on Monday that would restart the legislative campaign to repeal mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses.
The government informed the House of Commons on Friday that a bill to amend the Criminal Code and federal drug laws would be introduced on Monday.
A previous bill, introduced by the Liberals in February, failed to gain parliamentary approval before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched his election campaign in August.
If passed, the bill would have allowed greater use of conditional sentences, such as house arrest, accompaniment or treatment, for people who do not pose a threat to public safety.
The government’s idea for this bill was that too many low-risk and first-time offenders were jailed, often resulting in disproportionate numbers of native and black people.
Justice Minister David Lametti’s bill is one of many items on the House of Commons agenda, including pressure from the Conservative opposition to split a new bill in half on aid in the event of a pandemic so that MPs can vote separately on aid for businesses and workers.
The Liberals say they want the aid package approved before MPs go on holiday for the holidays in two weeks.