Winnipeg’s mayor was in Ottawa on Tuesday, urging parliamentarians to use the bail system to crack down on repeat violent offenders. Scott Gillingham represented Manitoba mayors as he presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. At the hearing, the mayor called for legislation that would strengthen consideration of public safety in bail hearings, remove statutory release for repeat offenders who violate probation conditions, improve bail enforcement measures, and enhance data collection on crimes committed while on bail. “For too many years, Winnipeg has also been a violent crime capital,” he said at the hearing. “With the right laws and the right strategies, I know that we can change that.” Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the Canadian government is bringing forward a new bail reform bill that will introduce reverse-onus bail for major crimes, allow consecutive sentencing, restrict conditional sentences for a range of sexual offences, and impose harsher penalties for organized retail theft. The bill is expected to be tabled this week. Gillingham has been calling for bail reform for months and has started to send out weekly bulletins highlighting crimes committed by people out on bail. - With files from CTV’s Rachel Aiello.
