Extreme intoxication bill unanimously passes House of Commons, heads to Senate

The House of Commons passed the Liberal government’s “extreme intoxication” bill today after agreeing yesterday to rush its passage.

The Senate can now move at any time to follow a similar process and pass Bill C-28 at all stages by way of a unanimous motion.

But during a committee of the whole Tuesday evening to study the substance of the bill, several senators raised serious concerns with Justice Minister David Lametti, expressing uncertainty about their willingness to rubber-stamp it without further scrutiny.

The bill would amend the Criminal Code to create criminal liability in cases of violent crime where the offender can prove they were “in a state of negligent self-induced extreme intoxication.”

The new language would replace a similar provision that the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional in May.

In its motion passing the bill, the House agreed to stipulate that its justice committee would study its implementation in depth this fall, a move that Lametti said is available to senators, too.