Saskatchewan Justice Minister and Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre announced the province is updating the provincial bail policy to keep high-risk and violent offenders off the streets.. Bronwyn Eyre .“While respecting prosecutorial discretion above all, I have requested that the new policy explicitly emphasize that where any of the conditions for refusing bail are met, prosecutors should advocate for the detention of repeat violent offenders, in particular, awaiting trial,” said Eyre..The new policy “builds on existing practice and policies that Crown prosecutors must already consider where public safety is at risk, including high-risk offences, those involving intimate partner violence, and children and vulnerable adults.”.Last week, Eyre was in Ottawa with her provincial and territorial counterparts and called on the federal government to “reform Canada’s broken bail system.”.On Friday, Trudeau’s Justice Minister David Lametti made an announcement to “move forward quickly on targeted reforms to the Criminal Code on bail” after a “good faith collaboration by all levels of government to address the needs posed by repeat violent offenders.”.Sask United Party Leader Nadine Wilson told the Western Standard “keeping Saskatchewan's communities safe is our first priority. The federal government's “catch and release” Bill C-75 has made our communities less safe and has eroded the strength of our justice system.”. Nadine Wilson .“The proposed amendments by the provinces are welcome and necessary. There must be strict penalties against those who break the law, especially those who repeatedly commit violent criminal offences,” said Wilson..The Trudeau government passed Bill C-75 in 2019, favouring releasing people at the “earliest reasonable opportunity” on the “least onerous conditions.”.Saskatchewan proposed amendments to the Criminal Code “to hold repeat violent offenders accountable, improve public safety, and restore Canadians confidence in the justice system.”.“Bill C-75 codified “catch and release” as the default on bail, by adding the principle of restraint under Section 493.1 to the Criminal Code,” said Eyre..“Minister Lametti's commitment is an important first step to begin to restore the balance on bail, particularly when it comes to releasing repeat violent offenders.”.The Saskatchewan proposal included “creating reverse onuses on bail for repeat violent offenders, strengthening language around the importance of community safety, and requiring judges to provide written consideration of the impacts to public safety when releasing violent offenders on bail.”.The Western Standard contacted the NDP for comment, but received no response.
