Mayor Scott Gillingham is welcoming the federal government’s proposed Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, calling it a major step for public safety and restoring faith in Canada’s justice system.
“I will be consulting with Winnipeg Police Chief Bowers and other Manitoba mayors in the next 24 hours to go over the details, but the draft federal legislation looks to be a big step forward in the fight against serious crime here in Winnipeg,” Gillingham said.
Earlier this week, Mayor Gillingham testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, where he urged MPs to prioritize public safety in bail decisions and implement tougher measures for a broad range of offences, rather than a specific few offences as the government had promised in the 2025 election.
“I’ve been calling for bail reform that puts public safety first,” said Gillingham. “Too many people with serious charges and a habit of breaching court orders have been released back into our neighbourhoods after an arrest. These new measures – particularly the expanded reverse-onus provisions for violent and organized-crime offences, and tougher sentencing rules – show that Ottawa was listening to Winnipeggers.”
Gillingham noted that the Justice Minister's news release included new statistics confirming what local critics of bail reform have denied: while overall recidivism is down, repeated crimes by habitual criminals remain stubbornly high, contributing to higher crime severity rates.
“Winnipeg will continue working with Manitoba and the federal government to ensure these reforms lead to real-world change,” he said. “Public safety must always come first.”