Are Manitobans too dim-witted to differentiate between kids playing Ding-Dong-Ditch or toilet-papering trees on Halloween and violent intruders breaking into their homes?NDP MLAs think so. Homeowners using force to protect themselves against kids playing pranks could be the “unintended consequences” of strengthening Manitoba’s self-defence laws, they argued in the Legislature last week. One minister actually said it could lead to children — who ding-dong the doorbell, then run and hide — “getting killed.” .RUBENSTEIN: Residential school ‘denialism’ redux.Despite a series of violent home invasions and exploding rural and urban crime, the NDP dismissed a Progressive Conservative resolution calling for clearer, stronger self-defence laws as “dangerous” and a “gimmick” by “out of touch Conservatives.” Confrontation by homeowners being broken into, assaulted, and potentially murdered will lead to more “violence and tragedy,” they fretted. So, be a good citizen, don’t fight back?Manitoba’s PCs want Ottawa to amend the Criminal Code to provide clearer legal protection for Canadians who use reasonable self-defence force. .“Homeowners should be able to use force, including deadly force, to repel home invaders trying to break into their homes and harm their loved ones,” said PC MLA Josh Guenter (Borderland), who introduced the resolution.“No one is advocating for a shoot first, ask questions later approach … No one is saying if someone steps foot on your property, you should have carte blanche to just blow them away.”.STIRLING: When pipelines and projects were based on evidence, not ideology.The NDP argued the Criminal Code already allows for self-defence.Guenter said there’s “confusion” about what steps people can take. Nine questions laid out in Sections 34 and 35 that one must consider before using reasonable self-defence force “are completely reasonable after the fact.” They’re “unreasonable and unrealistic” when police may be on the way, but someone is in your home with a weapon.“No one in a terrifying split-second, potentially life and death situation is going to waste their time trying to call to mind what those nine things are before they protect their kids, protect their spouse, other vulnerable people,” said Guenter..Guenter said two uncomplicated questions need to be asked. Is this person illegally in my home or trying to illegally enter my home? Do I believe they present a threat?”The self-defence debate has raged since an Ontario man seriously injured an intruder..Ontario man charged after allegedly assaulting home intruder already wanted by police.It should be the government's responsibility to establish that liability rests with the criminal, not the homeowner. This isn’t the reality.“Manitobans know this. They hear stories of violent crime and all the rest. They say, ‘Well, when it comes to protecting my loved ones, if this is the situation, better to be judged by 12 than to be carried by six,’” said Guenter.He noted that homicides nearly doubled during the NDP’s first year in power — from 30 in 2023 to 55 in 2024. Winnipeg’s violent crime rate is “more than double the national average.”In September, during a home invasion in Winnipeg, a man in his 80s was stabbed, and a woman in her 70s was assaulted. In October, masked men stormed a Winnipeg home jewelry business and shot the owner and his father in the legs with family members, including children, present. Many horrific crimes have occurred over the years. Four years ago in Thompson, a gang broke in and stabbed a man multiple times in front of his children. “Imagine the terror for those kids,” said Guenter..Well, sure, homeowners have the right to be safe in their homes and on their property, said NDP MLAs. But those poor criminals must be afforded compassion, rehabilitation, and gently cradled by the law. Dumb homeowners who can’t be trusted to make sound judgments pose the real threat.“It’s that hug-a-thug philosophy that has led to this explosion of violent crime across the province, across the country. I don’t trust the NDP one bit to lift a finger to stand up for innocent Manitobans and protect their rights,” said PC MLA Josh Guenter (Borderland), who introduced the resolution.The NDP/Liberal ideology that has seen repeat offenders let out on bail “led to this heartbreaking devastation all across the country over the last couple years.” That same ideology “doesn't think Canadians, Manitobans should have the right to protect themselves within their own homes.”.AICHELE / WITTEVRONGEL: Parents want academics, Alberta teachers want activism.He noted 700 days passed since the NDP promised to reform the bail system within 100 days of getting elected to prevent repeat offenders from revictimizing. Nothing yet.“The NDP’s soft-on-crime, catch and release bail policies are what got us here today, where crime has become an epidemic in Manitoba,” he said. During the debate, NDP Tyler Blashko (Lagimodiere) cheerfully reminisced about the “lowkey fun stuff” teens did on Halloween in his younger days..“I heard rumors maybe of toilet papering trees of neighbours, things like that. And so, I think it's really interesting that we’re here today talking about trespassing and talking about the impacts of trespassing and the impact on property owners.” “I think it's really important that we consider young people in the development of these laws … unintended consequences.”NDP Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu worried about “unintended consequences” affecting kids playing Ding-Dong-Ditch. He said no one wants to see children “getting killed.” .OLDCORN: Is Ottawa trying to censor the Bible? Liberals' assault on Christianity continues.Justice Minister Matt Wiebe later accused the PCs of using “gimmicks.”PC MLA Rick Wowchuk (Swan River) said Manitobans “encounter a lot of things happening in the early hours of the morning” on farms and in rural communities. Across rural Manitoba, cameras and new locks are being installed.Honest Manitobans on farms and rural properties that “carry real risks” to person, machinery, and need some “assurance that the law is on their side.”.“Your government should stand with you on this, not with the trespasser who breaks in at night … Criminals shouldn't be able to sue the people they were trying to rob. For too long, loopholes have allowed offenders to use the courts against their victims. This battle closes that loophole, and it restores fairness to the system.”If a criminal siphoning fuel gets hurt during a scuffle with a farmer, and the farmer is hauled into court, “that's not justice, that's revictimization.” He wants the law to ensure anyone who trespasses with criminal intent cannot sue homeowners for injuries sustained in reasonable self-defence.The NDP argued that investing in police, courts, and rehabilitation — not empowering innocent citizens — is the answer. Glen Simard, Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations, said the PC resolution “doesn’t make Manitobans safer” but makes “tragedy more likely.”.BARBER: Trump brings home deals, Carney brings home nothing .The NDP boasted that they’ve poured money into policing and hired 23 more Crown prosecutors. That just means the government has more manpower to go after homeowners forced to pay lawyers.“The reality is that we don't have police officers standing guard 24/7 at the end of each of our driveways. You are your own first responder. Sadly, in the vast majority of cases, by the time police arrive on the scene, all that’s left for them to do is to conduct the investigation and lay charges.” Guenter cited the tragic case in St. Laurent in 2021 when a senior couple dialled 911 as their home was broken into. The RCMP raced to respond. Upon arrival, they found the couple stabbed to death.
