Over the past year, municipal leaders from across Canada have been raising their voices, calling on the federal government to take stronger action on public safety — and in particular, to make changes to Canada’s bail system.
From major cities to small towns, mayors and councils have been expressing the same concern: repeat violent offenders being released back into communities too quickly, only to offend again.
On October 23rd, following months of consultation with provinces, territories, law enforcement, and community groups, the Government of Canada introduced new legislation aimed at tightening bail and sentencing laws.
The proposed Bail and Sentencing Reform Act contains more than 80 targeted amendments to the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the National Defence Act.
The legislation focuses on two key areas — making bail laws stricter to address violent and repeat offending, including organized crime, and strengthening sentencing laws for serious and violent offences.
It’s being described as one of the most significant updates to Canada’s criminal justice system in recent years, and part of a broader effort to improve public safety, strengthen victims’ rights, and rebuild confidence in the justice system.
But as the federal government has made clear, these reforms will only be effective if provinces and territories do their part.
That means properly managing and resourcing the systems under their jurisdiction — from police and prosecutors to bail courts, jails, and victim services — to ensure the reforms can take hold in communities across the country.
So what does all this mean for municipalities — for the local governments and community leaders who’ve been on the front lines of this issue for months? And do these measures go far enough to meet the needs of cities struggling to keep their residents safe?
We sat down with Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, who recently travelled to Ottawa to advocate for bail reform, to get his thoughts on the federal government’s new legislation — and to ask whether he believes these changes will make a real difference on the ground.
This is Municipal Affairs.
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