Michael Cooper, MP for St. Albert-Edmonton, said Tuesday it’s unlikely Bill S-217 will become law after a standing committee recommended the House of Commons not proceed.
The bill, named after fallen St. Albert Const. David Wynn, would alter the wording of the Criminal Code to make it mandatory for a prosecutor to disclose an offender’s criminal history during a bail application.
Wynn’s Law passed second reading 154 to 128 in the House of Commons in March and was sent to committee of the House before being considered for a third and final reading.
READ MORE: Wynn’s Law passes 2nd reading in House of Commons Wednesday
Cooper sponsored the bill in the House of Commons after it was introduced last year in the Senate by Sen. Bob Runciman.
Cooper said he was disappointed that “the Liberal-dominated Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights voted Tuesday afternoon to recommend that the House of Commons not proceed with Bill S-271.”
In a news release, he said the Liberal government has opposed Wynn’s Law “all along,” claiming it will cause delay.
“Frankly, it didn’t make sense then and it doesn’t make sense now,” Cooper said.
“After all, presenting the criminal history of bail applicants at bail hearings is something that is almost always done. Making sure that it is always done cannot reasonably result in a backlog in the courts.”
Anthony Housefather, chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, explained the decision in a statement Wednesday.
“I voted in favour of Wynn’s Law at second reading. But, as our committee studied the bill, we heard from witness after witness that the bill would not make Canadians more safe.
“It would make Canadians less safe as the burden of proof would be raised and more people who should be in jail might get out on bail.
“It would make bail hearings slower, which would exacerbate an already clogged justice system, meaning more criminals might have their charges stayed under the Jordan decision,” Housefather said.
“This is what groups representing prosecutors and police told us. This is what Nancy Irving, who wrote the report recommending to Alberta what to do to improve their bail system, told us. This is what the Ontario and Saskatchewan governments told us. So we relied on their expert advice that the bill would cause problems and not solve them and have recommended alternative solutions.”
READ MORE: Const. Wynn’s widow ‘really sad’ local MPs voted against Wynn’s Law
In March, Edmonton MP Amarjeet Sohi explained why he voted against the bill. He said the government agrees with the objectives of Wynn’s Law but wants to see parole background checks handled as part of a comprehensive review of the justice system.
“We share the objective, we share the same goal. I think where we differ is the pathway forward,” Sohi said.
“We want to strengthen the parole system… We want to do a comprehensive review to deal with… many other areas that need to be strengthened in order to hold those who break the law accountable.”
Cooper said Tuesday the Liberals’ prioritized “so-called efficiency” over ensuring the applicant’s criminal history is before the courts.
READ MORE: St. Albert RCMP shooter Shawn Rehn had ‘incredibly complex criminal history’
“Now that the Liberal-dominated committee has voted to not proceed with Wynn’s Law, it is unlikely that Wynn’s Law will pass in this parliament,” Cooper said.
“While I am disappointed, I am going to keep fighting for Wynn’s Law because it is the right thing to do.”
The bill will return to the House of Commons for debate and a vote on the committee’s recommendation not to proceed.
READ MORE: ‘We’re saying our goodbyes today’: wife of St. Albert RCMP Const. Wynn
Wynn was shot and killed at the Apex Casino in St. Albert in January 2015. He had been attempting to arrest a man wanted on warrants.
That individual, Shawn Rehn, had been out on bail despite having 30 outstanding charges and a lengthy criminal record. It was later discovered those previous offences had not been mentioned during his bail hearing.
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