TORONTO — Following the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs’ adoption of amendments to Bill C-48 (bail reform), Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), made the following statement:
“We are pleased that a key amendment to Bill C-48 proposed by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has been adopted. The amendment requires a justice to explain how they determined if an accused person was Indigenous or part of a vulnerable overrepresented group in the criminal justice system, and if so, how their circumstances were considered in a bail decision. Courts are required by law to consider these circumstances, but often forget to or do not explain how they did so. We thank Senator Bernadette Clement for championing this amendment and recognize the support of many organizations who testified before the committee.”
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
Media Contact:
Alex Nanoff – 613.709.6318
Media@ccla.org
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
For the Media
For further comments, please contact us at media@ccla.org.
English (Canada) 
Français du Canada