CAEFS submission on Bill C 14: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act
5/7/2026Today, CAEFS submitted our perspective on Bill C-14. It is based on our deep knowledge of issues surrounding criminalization, that CAEFS submits that Bill C-14 risks deepening Canada’s already excessive reliance on pretrial detention and lengthening incarceration through sentencing provisions that reduce judicial discretion. With certainty, these changes will harm and further criminalize women, especially Indigenous women and genderdiverse people. At a time when women are the fastest growing prison population, and Canada’s rates of incarceration of Indigenous women persist at unacceptable metrics, we express great concern and sadness at the lack of attention in government to the system-driven factors influencing this direction.
Read our submission to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in full:
