QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Justice
Use of Reasonable Force
November 19, 2025
Minister, after 10 years of the Liberal government, most Canadians no longer feel safe in their own neighbourhoods. It is no surprise a recent poll shows that 87% of Canadians believe they should have the right to defend themselves and their families with reasonable force against an intruder.
After the home invasion case in Lindsay, Ontario, last August where a homeowner was charged for defending his own home, Canadians are now more confused and anxious. They are left wondering whether the law will protect or punish them when their safety is on the line.
Minister, if your government cannot keep Canadians safe by keeping high-risk offenders off our streets, will you at least provide the legal clarity needed so Canadians can exercise their fundamental right to self-defence in a way that genuinely protects their homes and their families?
Thank you. This is an important question, and you’ve correctly outlined the appropriate legal test in your question.
Let me be unequivocal: Canadians have the ability to defend themselves in their homes today through their use of reasonable force. Some of these cases, as they make their way into the public fora through reporting, invite conversations suggesting that no such law exists today.
The law that’s on the books today was put in place by a previous Conservative government. Despite being a Liberal, I think that was the right thing to do. We need to ensure that the laws enable people to protect themselves in their homes, but then we need to put systems in place that ensure that there is a public responsibility to protect Canadians more broadly in their communities.
This is going to involve some of the reforms that we are now advancing through Parliament through Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act (bail and sentencing), and upcoming legislation with Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places). It’s also going to involve more resources by a different level of the government on the front line of law enforcement, and it’s going to require those upstream investments.
But to the point of your question, just to be unequivocal once again, Canadians have the right to use reasonable force to defend themselves and others in their homes should they be facing an attack.
But, minister, Canadians watched a homeowner do everything to protect himself in the face of an armed intruder, yet he ended up as the one facing charges. That sends a chilling message to every law-abiding citizen across this country.
Minister, will you commit to reviewing the Criminal Code provisions on self-defence to ensure that Canadians defending their families are not treated like criminals while real criminals walk free?
Without offering commentary on the specifics of the case, I think it’s important that we trust the police to exercise their discretion in circumstances where it’s appropriate.
While we still recognize that the law includes, today, the exact features that you’re calling for — the use of reasonable force is permitted — in addition to confirming that that law exists and that we do not intend to erode it one iota, we have to advance additional provisions to protect people against home invasions, specifically in Bill C-14. Both on the sentencing side and on bail reform, we’re going to have tougher penalties and harder bail conditions when it comes to people who are facing charges for violent home invasions and, of course, harsher sentences for those who commit violent home invasions.
It’s a complex area, but to be clear, the law provides the exact remedy that you’ve asked for in your question: the use of reasonable force to protect yourself in your home.
