Western premiers disappointed by delay to federal bail reform on repeat offenders
Premiers from Western Canada said Tuesday they are “extremely disappointed” in the federal government for not passing reforms to the bail system to target repeat offenders before Parliament rose last week for the summer.
Speaking at the conclusion of the western premiers’ conference in Whistler, B.C., host Premier David Eby urged the federal government to prioritize passing the bill that would amend the Criminal Code as soon as possible.
Eby said all 13 Canadian premiers agreed on the urgent need for bail reform at a meeting of the Council of the Federation earlier this year, and the western premiers made a point of highlighting their disappointment at the lack of movement in the communique released after Tuesday’s conference.
“We all struggled to understand the decision that was made in the federal Parliament not to call the bail reform bill,” Eby said. “All of the premiers across Canada agreed that this was a priority. The police have called on the federal government to make this change.”