Manitoba Conservative MP James Bezan is hoping to increase the amount of time convicted killers must spend behind bars before they can apply for parole.
The private member’s bill, sponsored by Bezan, looks to give judges the ability to increase parole ineligibility to 40 years for some convicted killers, up from the current 25 when the crimes involve kidnapping, sexual assault and murder.
Bezan says in cases like the 2009 slaying of eight-year-old Tori Stafford in Stratford, Ont., the killers were given life sentences involving the death of just one victim and will be eligible to apply for parole as early as 2023.
The bill is getting attention at the same time as two high profile cases — those of Toronto serial killer Bruce McArthur and Quebec City mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonette — edge closer to wrapping up sentencing.