(Ottawa) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accuses Conservative MPs of lapsing into ‘misinformation’ when they say scrapping mandatory minimums in Bill C-5 would ease penalties for individuals who commit crimes with a firearm.
Posted at 4:28 p.m.
In a series of heated exchanges in the House of Commons on Wednesday, the day when the Prime Minister answers all the questions posed by the opposition parties, Mr. Trudeau affirmed that this reform “does not prevent the police from carrying charges or prosecutors to seek convictions”.
“What she does is ensure that criminals are punished harshly while decreasing the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous Canadians in the criminal justice system. This is the responsible approach to keeping communities safe, unlike the failed approach of Conservatives in years past,” he added.
Previously, Justin Trudeau had argued, “The Conservatives need to put an end to the misinformation. »
The Prime Minister used this line a few times on Wednesday, both in French and in English.
“A criminal is a criminal, regardless of race,” replied Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus. “Does the Prime Minister know that 90% of the victims in 2021 come from the communities of the criminals who have raged? Whether you are white, black or aboriginal, it doesn’t matter. Illegal use of a firearm deserves punishment,” he said.
He again demanded that the Trudeau government remove the clauses of Bill C-5 dealing with crimes committed with a weapon.
The abolition of minimum sentences for certain crimes is part of Bill C-5 led by Justice Minister David Lametti which aims to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
Among other things, the bill would abolish minimum sentences and thus allow a judge to exercise his or her discretion to impose sentences related to the nature of a case, including considerations of the person’s experience with systemic racism and the risk it poses to public safety.
The bill would open the door to greater use of conditional sentences, including house arrest, therapy or treatment, for people who do not pose a threat to public safety.
But according to the Conservative Party, this reform casts too wide a net. Above all, it sends a very bad message to the members of street gangs who have been raging in the streets of Montreal and its suburbs for several months.
Many witnesses who have appeared before the House of Commons justice committee over the past few weeks have highlighted some of the shortcomings of this bill.
Laval Police Service director Pierre Brochet, who is also president of the Association of Quebec Police Directors, is among those who have expressed reservations.
“We are sending a very bad message by reducing the sentences for these crimes. Removing mandatory minimum sentences will ensure that very violent criminals get off with lesser sentences. These people who are ready to do this are highly criminalized. We may be idealistic, but they will not stop when they get out of prison, ”he argued last week.
Citizen organizations have also recently mounted the barricades. “Bill C-5 is in perfect dichotomy with the social context of armed violence,” said Stéphane Wall, a retired Montreal police officer who is one of the spokespersons for the Community of Citizens in Action. Against Violent Criminals (CCACV).
Since the beginning of the year, the Montreal Police Department has reported that an event involving a firearm takes place every two days.