Thank you for your question. The breach of any condition, whether imposed by a parole board, Corrections Canada or a court order, by anyone subject to those orders is wrong. Exposing innocent citizens, residents and visitors to the harm that they may cause is deplorable.

Again, not knowing the circumstances under which the person was given release — whether it was a statutory release or parole board release — or how the Correctional Service of Canada and the police were monitoring his whereabouts, I really can’t comment on the specific case.

Violence committed against innocent citizens is wrong. I do not see the link, however, Senator Housakos, so I’m sure you’ll enlighten me as to how this bears upon legislation.

Senator Housakos, I seem to remember that when I was appointed to the Parole Board of Canada by former Prime Minister Harper’s government, I was administering a piece of legislation passed by Parliament which spoke of the rules that I had to follow — legislative rules and policy rules — to ensure that those to which I was subject were treated properly and fairly and that risk was managed.

If you want to blame the courts and legislators for not locking up people and throwing away the key until —

Senator Carignan, please.

Leader, we learned this week that, between 2014 and 2022, the violent crime rate in Canada increased by 43.8% to 434.1 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

That means Canada’s violent crime rate is 14% higher than the United States’. Let me repeat that. Under the Trudeau government, Canada has become a more violent country than the United States. Fredericton’s police chief pinpointed the reason: the Trudeau government’s soft-on-crime measures, such as Bill C-75. Canadians are feeling increasingly unsafe.

Senator Gold, when will the government do away with its catch-and-release justice system? When will you stop prioritizing criminals’ rights over those of honest citizens?

With all due respect, Senator Carignan, your comments distort not only the intent, but also the consequences of the legislation that Parliament passed. I would reiterate that, in any society with a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we need to emphasize and enforce the Criminal Code and penal codes to protect citizens from violence and crime, while respecting the standards and rights set out in the Constitution. If a government wishes to change this system and set aside the Charter, there may be a way to do so, but that would be unfortunate, because, once again, it’s not legislation, nor the courts, nor independent commissions that are to blame for all this.

Last week, Troy Dennis Ledrew fired random shots at vehicles on Highway 401 in Toronto. He had recently been released following an arrest. He was also on probation and under multiple firearms prohibitions. These things no longer mean anything in Justin Trudeau’s Canada. This kind of thing happens in Canada every day. Criminals who should be in jail are being released because of the Liberals’ policies. When will that stop?

I repeat, if long-standing legislation provides that a person is eligible for probation administered by an independent tribunal, then that is the way to go. We have to trust our independent tribunals.