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House Bill

Bill C-279

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 02, 2022
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (criminal organizations)
  • This bill aims to amend the Criminal Code to allow the Governor in Council to establish a list of criminal organizations. The list would consist of entities that have as one of their main activities or purposes the facilitation or commission of serious offenses that could result in a material benefit to the group or its members. The bill also outlines the process for entities to be added to or removed from the list, including a review every five years. Additionally, the bill clarifies that associating with known members of a criminal organization can be taken into consideration when determining whether someone is part of the organization.
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Context: House Hansard - 93 - Jun/21/22
Mr. Rhéal Fortin
Madam Speaker, that is another excellent question from an excellent colleague. I thank him for it. The bill that I introduced, Bill C‑279, says that we need to do something not only about guns but also about those who use them. It seeks to create a registry of criminal organizations, like the one we have for terrorist entities, in order to crack down on organized crime and eliminate it altogether.
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Context: House Hansard - 93 - Jun/21/22
Mr. Luc Desilets (Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, BQ)
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his brilliant speech. I would like him to explain why our Liberal colleagues do not support Bill C-279, which seeks to create a list of criminal organizations.
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Context: House Hansard - 80 - Jun/2/22
Ms. Pam Damoff (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, Lib.)
Mr. Speaker, we are working closely with the Quebec government to reduce gun violence. The Minister of Public Safety recently attended a forum in Montreal. We have directed $40 million under our guns and gangs funds to the Legault government. We are finalizing a transfer under our building safer communities fund to prevent gun crimes specifically for Quebec, and the minister continues to engage directly with his counterparts in Quebec.
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Context: House Hansard - 80 - Jun/2/22
Mr. Rhéal Fortin (Rivière-du-Nord, BQ)
Mr. Speaker, former Italian prosecutor Roberto Scarpinato, who spent his life going after the mafia, said last week that Canada is a paradise for the mafia. When an Italian prosecutor says that Canada is extremely attractive to the mafia because it offers the best opportunities to get rich, it is time to do something. Canada is a paradise for all organized crime groups, which is why we need an organized crime registry to identify these groups and make it easier for police to do their job. This morning I introduced Bill C‑279 to create such a registry. Does the government plan to support this bill?
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Context: House Hansard - 80 - Jun/2/22
Mr. Rhéal Fortin (Rivière-du-Nord, BQ)
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-279, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (criminal organizations). He said: Mr. Speaker, I am proud to introduce this bill today because, as we in the Bloc Québécois often say, it is in keeping with the interests and values of our citizens. As everyone knows, there is currently a significant spike in gun violence throughout America and, for us in Canada, particularly in the Montreal area. Again last night, a man was shot at point blank range in a restaurant at 7:30 p.m., at dinner time, in front of children. This situation has gone on day after day. There are new such incidents every day, and it is Parliament's responsibility to do something about this. The federal government is responsible for the Criminal Code, and provisions must be put in place quickly, because this cannot go on. Bill C-279 seeks to give the Minister of Public Safety the authority to establish a list of criminal organizations that individuals will be prohibited from joining under the Criminal Code. This will help make the work of police and the courts easier. Right now, when the authorities want to put someone who is accused of belonging to a criminal organization on trial, not only do they have to prove that the accused belongs to the organization, but they also have to prove that the organization in question is a criminal organization. That is the kind of proof that can often take weeks or even months to provide. Bill C‑279 would provide for the creation of a list of criminal organizations, much like what is already being done for terrorist organizations. There are currently about 30 to 50 organizations listed as terrorist organizations. The same thing would be done for criminal organizations. This would make it easier to fight organized crime, it would help curb the flow of illegal firearms as much as possible, and it would hopefully put an end to the shootings on our streets.
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