OTTAWA, October 5, 2010 - The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, accompanied by Mr. Daniel Petit, M.P. for Charlesbourg-Haute-Saint-Charles and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, today announced the re-introduction of legislation to end sentence discounts for multiple murders.
"It is important to the families of murder victims that the value of each life taken be acknowledged in the sentencing process," said Minister Nicholson. "This legislation will help ensure that the criminals who commit this most serious offence – multiple murder – serve a sentence that more adequately reflects the heinous nature of their crimes."
The new legislation would allow judges to impose consecutive parole ineligibility periods on individuals convicted of more than one first- or second-degree murder. Under the current system, criminals convicted of multiple murders serve their parole ineligibility periods concurrently, meaning that they are eligible to apply for parole after just 10 to 25 years, depending on their sentence.
"Once this bill becomes law, multiple murderers will no longer serve their parole ineligibility periods concurrently," said Mr. Petit. "Our government is committed to supporting victims of crime, keeping dangerous criminals off our streets, and ensuring the safety and security of our communities."
First-degree murder and two categories of second-degree murder carry a mandatory life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 25 years. The remaining categories of second-degree murder carry a mandatory life sentence with no eligibility for parole for a minimum of 10 years up to a maximum of 25 years.
An online version of the legislation will be available at www.parl.gc.ca.
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