As the federal election campaign intensifies, both Liberal leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre made high-profile stops in Brampton this week, each pledging to crack down on crime while taking markedly different approaches to law and justice.
Speaking to a crowd during a rally titled “Stop the Crime” on Wednesday, Poilievre unveiled what he called “the biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history.” His platform promises include sweeping reforms such as repealing Bill C-75, which overhauled Canada’s bail system, and introducing mandatory minimum sentences for a range of offences.
Among his most controversial proposals are a three-year minimum sentence for repeat auto-theft offenders and mandatory life sentences for human traffickers and drug smugglers. While Poilievre maintains these measures are “Charter-proof,” legal experts have pushed back, noting that similar mandatory sentencing laws introduced by previous Conservative governments were struck down by the Supreme Court for violating constitutional rights.
He also promised a “new offence” targeting intimate partner violence, eliminating house arrest for serious criminals, and called for lower taxes and more affordability for Brampton and Mississauga residents.
Just one day later, Prime Minister Carney visited Brampton to lay out his own public safety agenda. While also promising bail reform, Carney emphasized targeted interventions rather than blanket mandatory minimums. He announced plans to automatically revoke firearms licences from those convicted of violent crimes, including intimate partner violence, and to strengthen “yellow and red flag” gun laws to prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining weapons.
Carney’s plan includes boosting the capacity of RCMP forensic labs to trace crime-linked firearms, acquiring new scanners and drones to counter auto theft, and hiring 1,000 additional RCMP officers alongside 1,000 new Canada Border Services Agency officers to combat organized crime and smuggling.
The Liberal platform also includes new Criminal Code offences related to hate-motivated violence and intimate partner crimes, creating a legal category for femicide, and raising the maximum sentence for child luring. Carney pledged to protect community spaces by making it a criminal offence to “intentionally and wilfully obstruct a place of worship, school, or community centre.”
Both leaders addressed cross-border trade tensions as well, vowing to stand firm against any tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump in order to safeguard Canada’s economy.
With Canadians heading to the polls on April 28, and advance voting open from April 18 to 21, Brampton has once again become a key battleground in the national election, with both parties pitching tough-on-crime platforms in a riding seen as crucial to securing victory.