Fixing mandatory minimum penalties a way to cut court backlogs: minister
GATINEAU, Que. — Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould says she intends to introduce the first legislative amendments to mandatory minimum sentences this spring, starting to reverse dozens of changes made by the former Conservative government during its decade in power.
Wilson-Raybould made the comment Friday at the end of a day-long emergency meeting with several provincial justice ministers to address the sudden pressure to speed up the justice system following a Supreme Court ruling last year that set maximum time periods for cases to come to trial.
“We’re going to endeavour as much as we can to have something presented as soon as possible,” Wilson-Raybould said at the closing news conference.
There are 72 mandatory minimum penalties in the Criminal Code. Wilson-Raybould said the minimums for the most serious offences will remain but others will be amended, balancing the interests of victims, their families and public safety.