OTTAWA –
The House of Commons today passed the Liberal government’s “extreme intoxication” bill after agreeing to rush it yesterday.
The Senate can now go at any time to follow a similar process and pass Bill C-28 at all stages by a unanimous motion.
But during a commission on Tuesday evening to study the merits of the bill, several senators expressed serious concerns with Justice Minister David Lametti and expressed uncertainty about his willingness to mark it without further scrutiny.
The bill will amend the Penal Code to create criminal liability in cases of violent crime where the offender can prove that he was “in a state of negligent self-induced extreme intoxication.”
The new language would replace a similar provision that the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional in May.
In its motion to pass the bill, the House agreed to stipulate that its justice committee would thoroughly study its implementation this fall, a move Lametti said is also available to senators.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 22, 2022.