Canadians demand and deserve bail reform
By Lethbridge Herald on August 2, 2025.
Rachael Thomas
Lethbridge MP
“If you want to commit a crime, come to Canada.”
These were the harrowing words spoken by the mother of Laura Furlan after her daughter was brutally murdered in a Calgary park by Christopher Ward Dunlop. Fifteen years later, on February 16, 2025, Dunlop claimed another life—that of Judy Maerz—in the very same park.
The comment may sound extreme, but it reflects a hard and painful truth: Canada’s justice system is failing. A known killer was given the freedom to reoffend. Two women are dead, and two families are forever changed—all because a violent offender was granted another chance.
Statistics Canada reports that violent crime has surged by 55 per cent in recent years. While many factors contribute to this increase, there’s no denying the role of weak bail policies and a soft-on-crime approach that has turned the justice system into a revolving door for repeat offenders.
What we’re seeing is not just a policy failure—it’s a public safety crisis.
In July, Bailey McCourt—a mother of two from Kelowna, B.C.—was brutally attacked and killed with a hammer. The man charged with her murder was her ex-husband, James Plover. He now faces a second-degree murder charge and is waiting to be sentenced.
At the time of the murder, Plover was out on bail. His release cost just $500.
To McCourt’s grieving family, this isn’t just shocking—it’s proof that something is deeply wrong with Canada’s bail system. In response, they’ve put forward four recommendations to the federal government. At the top of the list: reforming bail rules for high-risk domestic offenders.
They’re also asking that courts be required to consider lethality risk indicators—warning signs that suggest a person may seriously harm or kill their partner—when deciding whether someone should be granted bail.
This tragedy, and the weak legal response that followed, has left many Canadians wondering: how many more lives have to be lost before meaningful change is made?
Sadly, this pattern repeats itself across the country. In December 2022, Const. Greg Pierzchala of Ontario was shot and killed in the line of duty by two men—both out on bail. Const. Pierzchala’s death sparked a rare and unified call to action from Canada’s leading police associations. Officers across the country are urging the federal government to reform the very bail policies that allowed this tragedy to happen.
Despite clear evidence that the system is broken, the government continues to delay meaningful reform. When Conservative MP Frank Caputo raised the issue during debate on Bill C-2, highlighting that the legislation did not address bail, Liberal MPs mocked him.
Canadians want and deserve bail reform. We want a justice system that takes violent offenders seriously and prioritizes the safety of law-abiding citizens over the comfort of criminals.
It is unacceptable that someone who plots to bomb a synagogue, stating his goal was “to kill as many Jews as possible,” walks away with 60 days of house arrest. This is not justice—it is a dangerous erosion of public trust.
Just last month in Ontario, 36-year-old Medhani Yohans—already facing charges related to violence and sexual assault—was arrested again only 24 hours after being released. His new charges included breaching probation, disobeying court orders, and criminal harassment.
This cycle of release and reoffending is exhausting our police forces, putting communities at risk, and leaving victims without protection. A justice system that allows repeat offenders to walk free is one that fails in its most basic duty.
Law enforcement officials have told me directly: they are frustrated, exhausted, and demoralized. They work hard to keep us safe, only to see their efforts undone by weak policies that favour offenders over public safety.
Across Canada, people are losing faith in the justice system—and rightly so. The message being sent is that even the most serious crimes carry little consequence, and that repeat offenders will be given endless second chances.
We cannot let that message stand.
The lives of Laura Furlan, Judy Maerz, Bailey McCourt, and Constable Greg Pierzchala were not just statistics. They were people with families, futures, and the right to feel safe in their own communities. Their deaths are the direct result of a system that refuses to adapt to the growing threat of violent crime.
Bail reform is not a partisan demand. It is a moral imperative. It is the bare minimum we should expect from a government responsible for protecting its citizens.
Bail reform isn’t just a political debate; it’s a matter of life and death.
24-23
No argument here! We need a government focused on overhauling our justice and penal systems . . . they are a joke and failed for years.
How can you even accept supervised consumption sites in penetentiaries? How are the drugs getting in? Why, in a supposed secure facility, can they be that prevalent that we need supervised consumption sites in these facilities? Is this not reflecting a failure in the system? You find the weakness and fix it! If drones are flying in and dropping the drugs, you equip guards with weapons to neutralize the drones . . . there are many on the marked which are safe, including signal jammers! It is a mockery of the system!
We have a long list of legislation which needs to be amended or passed, but our leaders are too busy trying to focus on keeping in power, instead of serving the citizens and making sure laws are in place to protect us . . . they are supposed to be the legislators, while the Senate is to consider to pass that legislation.
It is time government started working on the basics, unless it is their intent to allow Canada to fall into chaos. It only took the Liberals less than 10 years to destroy our country!
our system is too easy on violent offenses, and, even more reckless with repeat and habitual violent offenders. i know the usa system hardly produces much in the way of results with their ultra stupid/harsh “justice” system, which is most about private for profit and kickbacks and winning local and state offices, and not about restitution, prevention and rehabilitation. thus, that is a system to avoid and not emulate. but our system too often turns a blind eye to the victim and comes off favouring the violent criminal. that needs to change: house those with a penchant for inflicting violence with others of the same penchant; they should be happy enough, and the rest of us will also be happier, and safer.
From StatsCan:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230727/cg-b002-png-eng.htm
Violent crime has been steady since 1992 at around 1000 per 100,000.
the stat may surprise many. still, it does not address the concern that our laws and procedures could do more to ensure safety and demonstrate respect for victims of violent crime.
Thus MP says violent crime is rising. It is not.
Exactly what is being proposed here (beyond creating alarm)? What solutions are being offered? Should a man uttering threats get the electric chair? If that is so, should the alt right who threaten (mainly female) politicians be first to fry? This is clearly red meat offered by someone incapable of understanding complex issues.
Electric chair? Canada has not executed or sentenced anyone to death since 1962 and shortly after capital punishment was abolished in Canada. Bizarre comment!
I stand with police who know there has to be changes in both our penal and judicial systems! Sad you really don’t get it SophieR!
Oh, I thought we had a hang’emhigh mob going, here. I think I get it well enough: policing and punishment are the solution to crime. Even though it does little to prevent crime, and costs lots of taxpayer’s precious money, it is appealing to simple folks and avoids all that care and treatment stuff.
Canada, the rate of violent crime, specifically violent criminal code violations, has fluctuated between 2007 and 2023. While the rate of violent crime decreased significantly from 2007 to the mid-2010s, it has generally increased since then. In 2023, the rate of violent crime incidents was 1,427.94 per 100,000 people, a 3.71% increase from the previous year, according to Statista.
Key Trends:
yes, the stat you share should be appreciated for presenting the reality that violent crime is not on the rise, and for calling out the ultra right for creating an issue based on a lie.
however, the stat also shares that we are not making inroads on reducing violent crime, which would seem to me to be a failure. i am not at all a law and order type. what i am suggesting, though, is that there is failure in our system with regard to violent crimes, and violent repeat offenders. not only do such offenses and offenders infringe on our most basic rights, they cause much pain and damage.
we do not not to go to extremes with regard to prevention and punishment – as noted, the approach of the excited states hardly works – but we can do better with regard to protection, prevention, and rehabilitation, and punishment. deterrence, and respect for victims are too often lacking.
Oh, that’s cool. Even though economic, social and psychological factors play a prominant role in violent crime, the simplest and most digestible solution for the right is building more prisons to hold more people longer. When the numbers fall again (as this is what variance is) someone can take credit and open more prisons because it appeared to work. Of course we’ll have to find more people to put in those prisons. You only have to look to our southern neighbour to see who these people will be. The greatest stupidity of all this is that incarceration does not deter violent crimes.
i agree that we need to address the causes of violent crime, and also that rehabilitation is far better than punishment. i agree more prison time is not going to help. i agree that we need a fairer system all the way around. there is indeed injustice built into our social and justice systems. .
it appears we may disagree as to whether or not the present system is too often too lenient with chronic and severe offenders/offenses, each in terms of bail/release, and what justice outcome honours and respects the victim’s experiences. as i see it, the system is not doing it right consistently enough.
I understand the sentiment – timely court decisions, victim support, etc.
Where the bail logic fails is that one has no idea who will add to their offences while on bail. Avoiding this requires that there be no bail for those accused. No bail requires holding many more people awaiting trial, requiring more space and at additional expense. The lock’emup crowd. (the same group who resents paying taxes) simply want the ‘deplorables’ to disappear. But they are unwilling to support the anti-poverty and mental health programs that mitigate despair and criminality. Instead we get an MP ginning up the base with fear and outrage for their petty power plays – quite unhelpful.
well stated. i feel with regard to bail, there are times when some charged for severe offenses are granted bail; there are times when habitual violent offenders are granted bail for violent offenses; there are times when “partners” are an obvious threat to the other, and are granted bail…i see it that those are such instances that need to be nailed down better. however, they should not be politicised and used to rile up the control freak militant heartless mob.
Statistics, statistics, those damned statistics. After 2007
Canada, the rate of violent crime, specifically violent criminal code violations, has fluctuated between 2007 and 2023. While the rate of violent crime decreased significantly from 2007 to the mid-2010s, it has generally increased since then. In 2023, the rate of violent crime incidents was 1,427.94 per 100,000 people, a 3.71% increase from the previous year, according to Statista.
Key Trends:
I agree our judicial system needs serious reform not only with bail/sentencing but also with shorter time frame between sentencing and actual court proceedings. Too often offenders are picked up while on bail from multiple previous serious crimes. Too often people charged with serious crimes don’t have their day in court until years later. This isn’t fair to those charged or the victims. I’ll close by suggesting that those caught selling drugs that kill be charged with murder or attempted murder. They know those drugs may cause death but know the penalty for being caught is minimal and the reward is worth the risk.
the intent of selling drugs is not so as to kill, so murder is hardly in play.
imagine a better world, where drugs, like alcohol, are controlled so as to ensure quality control. users would be assured of consistent dosing and drug integrity, free of added poisons: society saves because overdoses and poisonings are then greatly reduced. then, further imagine that drugs, which are in fact dirt cheap to produce and bring to market…and are only made expensive because they are illegal, are now affordable: that would mitigate the crime of theft that arises from hardcore addictions…society is far less affected, again.
but, i know, this comes down to one’s desire to control lifestyles, rather than ensure safety all the way around.
This week a 14-year old repeat offender went live on his Instagram feed to brag about his crimes and his bail, and to taunt the Toronto police after he killed a 71-year old senior. Shahnaz Pestonji was killed while taking her groceries to her car. The murderer wanted her car and stabbed her when she refused to give up her keys.
https://open.substack.com/pub/bygeorgejournal/p/liberals-soft-on-crime-approach-undermining?r=55mgwz&utm_medium=ios