In the Yukon Legislative Assembly on Oct. 30, Official Opposition Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon asked Liberal Premier Ranj Pillai to join Dixon's call in a letter Dixon sent to Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging Criminal Code changes related to bail and sentencing.
Dixon wants the feds to remove credits applied to sentences for time served for repeat and violent offenders and take away bail availability for serious crimes like murder, terrorism and human trafficking from Canadian criminal law.
While other changes could be made, Dixon told the prime minister to prioritize these amendments to restore faith in the justice system.
Pillai didn't make the commitment in the legislature but didn't totally close the door, from Dixon's perspective.
After spending 20 years of her career prosecuting criminal cases, Yukon Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee expressed skepticism at Dixon’s point of view. McPhee suggested his position was politically motivated. The Conservative Ontario government has made two similar calls.
“You can never remove bail availability for everything,” she told reporters in the cabinet office.
“But I can tell you that reverse onus exists for those offences, that someone charged with those offences are almost never released on bail, certainly not now with the concept of repeat and violent offences and the recognition of the impact that has on our community.”
Dixon’s letter to the federal Liberal leader joins wider calls for a comprehensive review of the bail system in Canada — including calls involving the Yukon premier.
Yukon government cabinet communications provided correspondence from Canada’s premiers including an April 28, 2023, letter from Heather Stefanson, former Manitoba premier and chair of the Council of the Federation, after premiers met with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
More recently, following minister meetings in Yellowknife, N.W.T., the bail system was discussed. “Significant concerns remain” despite changes already enacted to the Criminal Code, according to a press release following the federal-provincial-territorial meeting of justice and public safety ministers.
McPhee indicated the Yukon government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Bill C-48.
“We're looking at legislative and non-legislative responses to make sure that we're balancing public safety and the rights of individuals who come before the courts,” she said, for example, regarding whether conditional sentences should apply for certain offences.
Canadian premiers across political stripes argued that recent changes to federal bail legislation may not be functioning as intended. Premiers called for a review of the implementation and application of bail reform, urging the federal government to consider needed changes.
Pillai has previously noted premiers across the country are focused on bail reform to close what he called a “revolving door.”
“There's folks in the community that are constantly, a small group of individuals that are causing a tremendous amount of problems for everybody, and I think the RCMP needs the support,” Pillai told Sept. 24 press conference attendees.
“I'm not going to leave my, the justice minister to say this, I'm going to, I'll get myself in trouble and say: You know, we want to make sure that the system uses the tools they have, and people that are doing things have to be accountable for their actions. And if that means incarceration, it's incarceration. But I mean, what's happening right now is absolutely unacceptable.”
The Yukon Liberal Caucus chalked Dixon's move up to a "political stunt" as opposed to "true leadership." An email statement on Oct. 31 notes Dixon didn't engage the caucus or share his letter with the premier or justice minister before asking to sign on.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
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