TORONTO — Sex assault survivors and the opposition are livid with the Ontario government for what they call procedural games over a proposed justice bill.
Government House Leader Paul Calandra sent a proposed NDP sexual assault justice bill to committee on Tuesday, thereby cancelling a debate on it Wednesday. More than 100 survivors and supporters were set to visit Queen's Park to watch the debate as a way to push the Progressive Conservative government to take action to improve the"retraumatizing and cruel" justice system.
"We don't need more studies, we don't need more committees, we need the governments who listen and pass the bills," she said. Fife said the Progressive Conservative government is effectively killing the bill by sending it to committee to languish and never become law. Criminal courts across Ontario are extremely busy and understaffed, leading to delays and tossed cases. Jails across the province are over capacity and that's expected to get worse with Crown attorneys directed to challenge bail on every serious case, putting further strain on the justice system."It's not killing it like they're saying, absolutely not, it's expediting it into committee," he said of the bill.
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