‘Life sentence’ means life under proposed Tory bill

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This article was published 03/03/2015 (3340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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OTTAWA – Canada will have a true life sentence with no chance for parole ever for the most heinous criminals, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced this morning.

At a press conference in Toronto, Harper said the government will introduce the new legislation when the House of Commons returns after its current spring break.

The new law will apply to those convicted of first-degree murder which involve sexual assault, kidnapping or forcible confinement, terrorism, killing a police officer or a corrections officer, or any first-degree murders that are found to be particularly brutal.

Currently a life sentence in Canada includes an option for parole, with the longest period before the chance of parole being 25 years.

Harper said it is to apply to the “most heinous offenders.”

“There are certain criminals that should never be able to walk the streets,” Harper said.

Harper said under the new legislation someone sentenced to life could apply to cabinet – not the courts — for a special exception to be released after 35 years. This measure is included mostly to try and keep the legislation within the bounds of the constitution.