Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he plans to move ahead with his own changes to how bail is implemented — even as he waits for the federal government to toughen the system.
Ford told reporters Wednesday he’s already held meetings with the province’s attorney general and solicitor general to discuss what needs to be done.
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“We’re looking to take action,” Ford said.
Ford, along with every premier across Canada, signed a letter last month calling on the federal government to make bail tougher for repeat violent offenders. They want the Trudeau government in Ottawa to reverse changes made in 2019 that made it easier for those charged with criminal offences to get bail
While the Trudeau government has said they are open to discussions, that’s the same line they’ve used since at least October, with no sign of pending changes or action.
“But really, the Criminal Code, it falls under the federal government, and you see the crime increasing day in and day out,” Ford said.
Ford noted comments made by Mark Baxter, president of the Police Association of Ontario, who appeared before a legislative committee studying bail reform at Queen’s Park. Baxter said that police officers are at risk due to the federal changes.
“Our members have stopped referring to the court and the prison system as a revolving door. For them and for the communities they serve, it no longer feels like the door is revolving. But instead, it is simply wide open,” Baxter told the committee.
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That committee also heard on Tuesday from the chiefs of police in Toronto and York Region, who called for stricter bail condition for repeat violent offenders. On Wednesday, a number of groups opposed to stricter bail including the Ontario Bar Association, the Canadian Prison Law Association, Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the John Howard Society of Ontario said too many people are already held without bail.
The Ontario government administers the bail system in the province, with rules set by the federal government and enforcement by local police.
In 2019, the federal government passed legislation that instructed judges and justices of the peace to use restraint in issuing bail conditions. Bill C-75 said that they, “shall give primary consideration to the release of the accused at the earliest reasonable opportunity and on the least onerous conditions.”
Police and other officials have argued this change has made bail easier to get for repeat, violent offenders like so many that have hit the headlines in recent months.
