QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Justice
Progress of Legislation
May 28, 2026
Minister Fraser, this week you were quoted in media that you were expecting Bill C-16 to pass the Senate within the next month, saying that it is urgently needed by then to “potentially save lives.” My understanding is that the House of Commons may not be done with this bill before at least the end of next week.
Our Senate Legal Committee just finished a comprehensive study on your government’s Bill C-14, and we are doing third reading today. We were attacked in the media by an anonymous senior government source, who said that we were delaying that bill by scheduling eight meetings and two clause-by-clause sessions, which is not unreasonable for a large bill like this.
Today, the committee just finished witnesses on a pre-study of Bill C-25 that was truncated to meet another tight government deadline. There is a further government bill, Bill S-6, awaiting study after that. Now you want to send us a complex bill in two weeks and have it done in the following week or two.
Why are you and your government treating the Senate and our Legal Committee like a rubber stamp?
First, Senator Batters, let me express again my gratitude for members of Senate who have been sitting during non-sitting weeks and beyond normal sitting hours to advance the important work not only of the Justice Department but priorities for the government and for Parliament.
My view on the timelines for Bill C-16 is driven by the importance of Bill C-16. I will not ask the Senate to do the impossible, but it is very important and very difficult, and we should try to accelerate the adoption of this important bill.
My perspective is informed by decisions that I’ve seen that included commentary from judges from the bench about the urgency here, particularly with AI “deepfakes” being used to create intimate images of victims without their consent. We know that we can adopt a solution as soon as possible that will bring an end to this practice without impunity before the criminal law. If there is any reasonable way, shape or form to advance these protections, we know there will be many victims who could be spared serious consequences with the absence of criminal penalties to the wrongdoer if we are able to accelerate the adoption.
If the Senate determines it is not possible on the timelines that we have to work with before the House and Senate rise for the summer, I would understand, but if it is difficult but not impossible, I believe we owe it to the victims of this country to make our very best efforts.
It’s a complex bill. You should have split it if you wanted that part of it.
Your government’s major justice bills, Bill C-14 and Bill C-16, are essentially this Liberal government trying to correct its own wrong-headed, soft-on-crime legislation that it passed years earlier. You voted for the problematic Bill C-75, and you were sitting in solidarity at the cabinet table when the damaging Bill C-5 was passed. Is it now a matter of saving lives if the Senate may not pass your complex legislation in one week?
Doesn’t all of this stem from your government’s incompetence at managing a legislative agenda — or is it an attempt to avoid our proper scrutiny of your legislation?
I respectfully disagree with your characterization. I would note, in particular, Bill C-75 made it more difficult for offenders charged with offences tied to intimate partner violence to actually be granted bail. Bill C-5 rendered inapplicable house arrests for very serious crimes, including advocating genocide and attempted murder.
The protections we’re moving forward with now are not related to decisions taken by previous parliaments but, instead, are motivated by feedback from law enforcement and from ordinary Canadians who are demanding more action on public safety. It is not a coincidence that a plurality of bills that have gone before the House of Commons touch on public safety measures since we formed government a little more than a year ago. My hope is that we can move forward with offering these protections to people informed by provinces and law enforcement bodies —
Thank you, minister.
