Poilievre: “A life sentence should mean life in prison”

by Marzio Pelù

TORONTO – The word of day twenty-third of the federal election campaign is “notwithstanding clause”: that clause, which gives provincial assemblies or Parliament the power to pass laws that overturn Supreme Court rulings. 

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has announced that, if he wins, he will use that clause to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that struck down a law allowing for consecutive sentences with longer periods of parole ineligibility. “Mass murderers should never again see the light of day” Poilievre said in a video posted on social media this morning (you can watch it here below), adding that consecutive sentences should be restored for ruthless killers, saying that “nothing could be more common sense…”.

“If you kill multiple people, you should spend the rest of your life behind bars, multiple murderers should only come out in a box” the Tory leader said.

The Supreme Court of Canada declared unconstitutional a 2011 Criminal Code provision that allowed judges to impose parole ineligibility periods of 25 years to be served consecutively for each murder, rather than concurrently. The ruling said the provision violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In today’s video, Poilievre used the case of Alexandre Bissonnette, who was initially sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 40 years for the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting. Following the Supreme Court ruling, his sentence was reduced, making him eligible for parole after 25 years. Poilievre called Bissonnette’s reduced sentence unfair.

“I will overturn this terrible ruling using section 33 the notwithstanding clause found in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that will ensure that when multiple murderers are caught, they go away forever” he said.

The Conservative leader previously hinted that he would wield the notwithstanding clause to legislate stiffer penalties for convicted criminals and those charged with crimes who have a record of violence. Yesterday, the announcement of the further crackdown, criticised by opponents.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said that it’s “wrong” to use that clause to ignore rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “Those rights should not be things that we would be willing to ignore or set aside” said Singh.

Liberal leader and current Prime Minister Mark Carney also criticized his main opponent’s idea, saying Poilievre’s plan to use that clause as part of his plan to crack down on crime was a “dangerous step.” He added: “Politicizing certain fundamental rights issues is a slippery slope to further politicization” Carney said, underlining that it was the prime minister’s job to defend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms instead.

Poilievre quickly responded: “I will use the Charter to protect the Charter. I will also use the Charter to end the Liberal crime wave”.

In the pic above, Pierre Poilievre announcing his proposal (screenshot from Twitter X – @PierrePoilievre)

Carney: “More resources for the Armed Forces”
Singh’s plan to address the nursing shortage

TORONTO – With two weeks to go until the polls in Canada, the campaign continued today with the two main leaders in Quebec (Liberal Mark Carney in Dorval and Conservative Pierre Poilievre in Montreal) and the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh in Toronto, while the tv-debates are scheduled for April 16 at 8 p.m. in French and April 17 at 7 p.m. in English.

Today, Carney strengthened his platform in support of the Canadian Armed Forces, announcing that a Liberal government would establish the Defence Procurement Agency to streamline the way Canada purchases military equipment. The Liberal leader also said his government would prioritize the purchase of Canadian raw materials for its own defence needs.

“We will protect our sovereignty in an increasingly dangerous and divided world by rebuilding, reinvesting and rearming our Armed Forces” said Carney (in the pic above, from Twitter X – @MarkJCarney). “In the meantime, we will support made-in-Canada defence procurement while helping our industries and companies reach new markets around the world…”.

Carney also pledged to establish the Bureau of Research, Engineering, and Advanced Leadership in Science to ensure the Armed Forces and Communications Security Establishment has made-in-Canada solutions in the areas of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cybersecurity. Earlier in the campaign, the Liberal leader had already pledged to give the Armed Forces more resources.

Singh (in the pic above, from Twitter X – @theJagmeetSingh) unveiled his plan to address the nursing shortage in Toronto on Thursday, called the “Health Care Workforce Strategy,” which includes requiring provinces to achieve adequate nurse-to-nurse ratios, actively recruiting qualified nurses from the United States, and introducing a tax credit for Canadian health workers.

“Healthcare is at the heart of what makes Canada, Canada. But right now, people are waiting too long, nurses are burning out, and health care is disappearing” Singh said.

The NDP says his plan would fill more than 32,000 nursing vacancies. Singh also promises to tie new federal health care transfers to robust recruitment and retention strategies, and to end the “$1.5 billion drain” on private nursing agencies, instead reinvesting the funds in stronger public health teams. “Your vote is how we hold the powerful to account—and make sure the people who build this country aren’t the ones left paying the price” said Singh.