May 27, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Rob Moore, Conservative Shadow Minister for Justice and Attorney General, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, issued the following statement after the Supreme Court’s ruling today:

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court of Canada is extremely disappointing and fails to stand up for the rights of victims.
“This decision means that mass murders like Alexandre Bissonnette, a man who senselessly murdered six people in their place of worship, may be free to walk the streets. It means that Justin Bourque, a man who senselessly murdered three RCMP officers in Moncton, may be free to walk the streets.
“This ruling means that families of victims will be forced to sit through years of parole hearings with their family member’s killer, adding to the trauma they face and putting them through another cycle of revictimization.
“Further, this decision fails to recognize the value and rights of victims of these despicable acts, and allows for sentences that simply do not reflect the severity of crimes like mass murders.
“This is unacceptable. Canada’s worst murderers must remain locked behind bars.
“Conservatives are calling on the federal government to use whatever means it has available to them to ensure the perpetrators of mass shootings serve sentences that reflect the severity of their crimes.
“Conservatives will always stand with victims and defend their rights and advocate for legislation that keeps perpetrators of heinous crimes locked behind bars. We will continue to weigh options in response to the court’s ruling today and continue to urge the Liberals to put victims first.”

-30-