QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Justice
Bail Reform
November 19, 2025
Hello, minister. We have more opportunities to unpack the impacts of systemic racism.
At the October 7, 2025, Justice Committee meeting on their study of the bail system, sentencing and the handling of repeat violent offenders in Canada, Nicole Myers of the Department of Sociology at Queen’s University said the following:
It is critical to strongly emphasize that it is indigenous peoples, Black and other racialized people, people experiencing poverty, as well as those who are struggling with mental health issues and substance use who are dramatically overrepresented. Said differently, it is the most marginalized in society who experience the most punitive aspects of our system. Any efforts to tighten the bail system will amplify these disproportionate impacts.
Given that, Bill C-14 will further entrench systemic anti-Black racism. What is your government doing to undo or minimize these impacts as you further legislate bail?
This is extremely important, and we alluded to this in an earlier conversation. There are multiple challenges within the criminal justice system. I believe that we need to tighten the bail system and have significant changes to sentences, particularly for repeat violent offenders.
I do not want to exacerbate the very real challenge of overrepresentation. We know that Indigenous and Black offenders, in particular, are more likely to face carceral sentences. We know they are more likely to have interactions with the police to begin with. There are multiple reasons as to why that is the case, but when we’re developing the criminal laws of Canada, I want to land on a framework designed to protect and promote public safety, and then I want to ensure we have the resources and systems to address the downstream impacts that you have raised here today.
That will include a range of tools. Some of that will be important training to ensure that people are culturally competent, whether that is in a community policing, Crown prosecutor or judicial role. Keep in mind that, in victim services, overrepresentation is not just an issue of incarceration but also with respect to the people who are victimized by crime.
In addition to putting resources into the system, not just to have more cops on the street but to have better-trained officers on the street and better-trained people in the system, we also have to make those upstream investments targeting at-risk youth to ensure people are not more likely to fall into a lifestyle of criminal behaviour. We need to ensure that we have targeted, supportive and affordable housing and mental health and addictions supports.
I see that I’ve run out of time, but I will happily continue this conversation.
Staying on the topic of youth, Canada’s Black Justice Strategy reminds us that the 2024 Fall Economic Statement proposed $23.6 million over two years starting in 2025-26 for the Department of Justice Canada to, among other things, develop diversion conferencing and bail supervision projects for Black youth.
Can you give us an update on whether this funding has been received and the progress around this commitment?
Thank you for the question.
The funding that was outlined in the 2024 Fall Economic Statement, despite having seen a prorogation of Parliament, a change in government, a new cabinet appointed and the summer without a legislative period, has now gone through the Treasury Board process. Calls for proposals have been issued. I expect recommendations from my department over the course of the next month or so, and we are aiming to be making funding awards early in the new year from the bucket of funds that was established in the 2024 Fall Economic Statement.
