Possible changes ahead for crime bill

The amendments proposed on Tuesday by Quebec’s justice minister will be supported by federal Liberals. Jean-Marc Fournier, Quebec’s justice minister, brought up three changes regarding young offenders in parts of the C-10 bill.

Fournier’s amendments will be among the fifty that Liberal MP Irwin Cotler will propose during the justice committee’s review of the legislation. Unlike the current federal justice minister, Cotler said he’s in regular contact with Fournier and is listening to the Quebec government’s concerns.

On November first, Fournier testified before the committee and urged the government to reconsider its approach. Ontario and Quebec are some of the provinces that have protested the potential cost of the bill.

The bill proposes the incarceration of more offenders for longer stretches of time. This would dramatically increase provincial jail costs.

Quebec would also like to focus on rehabilitation for young offenders instead of jail time. This approach has proven successful for the province in the past.