The new citizen's arrest authority will only apply in circumstances when it is not feasible for a police officer to make the arrest. The police will continue to be Canada's first and foremost criminal law enforcement body.
This legislation will also reform the "self-defence" and "defence of property" provisions in the Criminal Code. These provisions have been simplified to make it easier to determine whether individuals who claim to have defended themselves, others, or their property, should be charged with or convicted of a criminal offence.
An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service (Bill C-22) (Effective date: December 8, 2011)
This legislation protects children from online sexual exploitation by requiring suppliers of Internet services to report online child pornography. It will help identify victims so they may be rescued, and will improve law enforcement's ability to identify, apprehend and prosecute offenders.
Protecting Victims from Sex Offenders Act (S-2) (Effective Date: April 15, 2011)
This legislation strengthens the National Sex Offender Registry and the National DNA Data Bank through the following fundamental reforms:
-- automatic inclusion of convicted sex offenders in the registry;-- mandatory DNA sampling for convicted sex offenders;-- proactive use of the registry by police;-- registration of sex offenders convicted abroad;-- notifications to other police jurisdictions when high-risk registered offenders travel;-- operational and administrative amendments to enhance registry operations; and-- amendments to the National Defence Act.
Serious Time for the Most Serious Crime Act (Bill S-6) (Effective date: December 2, 2011)
This legislation ensures a "life" sentence means life by repealing the "faint-hope clause," which allows murderers to obtain early parole. Victims' families will be spared the anguish of attending repeated parole eligibility hearings and having to relive their losses over and over again.
Protecting Canadians by Ending Sentence Discounts for Multiple Murders Act (Bill C-48) (Effective dates: March 23 and December 2, 2011)
This legislation helps ensure that each life taken is acknowledged in the sentencing process and that those who commit multiple murders will serve a sentence that more adequately reflects the heinous nature of their crimes. It allows judges to impose consecutive parole ineligibility periods on individuals convicted of more than one first- or second-degree murder.
Abolition of Early Parole Act (Bill C-59) (Effective dates: March 23 and March 28, 2011)
This legislation abolishes the current system of Accelerated Parole Review, which allows those convicted of non-violent offences to obtain day parole after serving one-sixth of their sentence and full parole after serving one-third.
Standing Up For Victims of White Collar Crime Act (Bill C-21) (Effective date: November 1, 2011)
This legislation cracks down on white collar crime by toughening sentences for fraud, including a mandatory minimum penalty of imprisonment for frauds over $1 million, and by requiring judges to consider restitution for victims.
Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (Bill C-10) (Effective date: March 13, 2012)
This legislation allows victims of terrorism to sue perpetrators and supporters of terrorism, including listed foreign states, for loss or damage that occurred as a result of an act of terrorism committed anywhere in the world.
