Manitoba justice minister wants people charged with knife crimes to have less chance at bail

Manitoba's justice minister wants to make it harder for people accused of violent crimes involving knives to get bail.

In a statement issued Thursday morning, Kelvin Goertzen said he's written to federal Justice Minister David Lametti to ask that he consider making changes to the Criminal Code.

"Too often, those [who] use knives as weapons have a previous violent history, and at times are on bail awaiting trial on offences when they are alleged to have committed another violent crime," Goertzen's statement said.

"This is frustrating for Manitobans and devastating for those who are victimized."

The Criminal Code currently makes it more difficult for people to be granted bail if they're charged with an offence involving a firearm under Subsection 515(6). 

Goertzen said the federal government has the responsibility for setting the bail standards judges use to make their decisions, and he wants to see the law amended to also make it more difficult for someone to get bail if they're charged with a crime involving a knife. 

The statement described the proposed change as important in the interest of public safety, "given the prevalence of violent crimes committed with knives, both in Manitoba and Canada."

Invest in root causes of crime: prof

Michael Weinrath, a professor in the University of Winnipeg's criminal justice department, said Goertzen's request is an easy way for the province to appear to be tackling an issue people have become concerned about.

But it's unclear how much of an impact the proposed change would have on reducing crime, if it's implemented at all, he said.

The focus on changes at the federal level also distracts from all the ways the provincial government could act to address the root causes of crime, said Weinrath — and the proposal could lead to spending more money on keeping people in custody.

"Why do we want to invest in increasing our prison population again?" he said. 

"Why don't we invest in mental health? Why don't we invest in addictions? Why don't we invest in housing for lower-income groups? Those are actually things that the province has much more direct control over."

Those questions are echoed by the executive director of the John Howard Society of Manitoba, an organization that works with people who have been incarcerated to mitigate their risk of re-offending.

"There's no magic and there's no panacea. There's numerous interventions that need to be created to assist people," said Sharon Perrault.

She said many people she works with need help with addictions, but there's often a waiting list for people seeking treatment in Manitoba.

"I think that the more money we put into prevention and education, the better equipped we are to deal with people who commit crime," Perrault said.

"The majority of people that are incarcerated are going to come out.… What can we do for them before they even go down that route?"

Even if the federal government does decide to act on Goertzen's request, it will likely be years before that legislation is passed, Weinrath said — making it a delayed solution to what the province is describing as an urgent problem.

Meanwhile, increasing spending on something like addictions treatment is a step the province could take immediately, he said.

He also noted the circumstances around alleged violent offences, like what type of weapon was believed to have been used, are already discussed during bail hearings.

"When [someone has] committed a serious crime, whether it's with a knife, a baseball bat, a crowbar, or a bow and arrow, or a gun … these facts are all brought in front of the judiciary," Weinrath said.

"And in the end, when we want to start increasing punishment … it's going to disproportionately be directed at minorities, it's going to be disproportionately directed at our Indigenous population, who are already overrepresented within our prisons."

Goertzen's statement said the province will make more suggestions related to the Criminal Code in the weeks ahead.