New federal bill targeting bail takes effect in July

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Brook Wagner
Southern Alberta Newspapers

Canada has a new law that makes bail harder to get and sentences tougher for repeat and violent offenders.

The law is called the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, or Bill C-14. It makes more than 80 changes to the Criminal Code. It targets extortion, car theft and organized crime. The changes take effect on July 15.

The federal government says the law responds to a rise in those crimes.

“Canada’s new government promised stricter bail laws and tougher sentencing laws. That promise is now law,” said Sean Fraser, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

The law was backed by premiers from every province and territory, as well as mayors and police, the government says.

Under the new rules, bail is harder to obtain for violent and organized crime, home invasion, car theft and human trafficking.

One of the biggest changes is a new “reverse onus” rule in certain cases. That means the accused person must show why they should be let out, instead of the Crown showing why they should be held.

Bill C-14 also tells police to hold an accused person for a bail hearing when it is needed to protect the public, including victims and witnesses. Courts must look at more facts too, such as whether the violence was random or unprovoked, and whether the accused has many or serious charges still open.

The law also limits who can agree to watch over someone who is out on bail. A court can no longer pick a person who was convicted of a serious crime in the past 10 years, unless no one else is available.

Bill C-14 makes sentences sentences tougher for repeat and violent crime including car theft and extortion. People found guilty could spend more time in prison.

Some sentences must now be served one after the other instead of at the same time. This applies to violent car theft and break and enter, and to extortion and arson.

The law also adds new aggravating factors that can make a sentence harsher. They include organized retail theft and crimes that damage key infrastructure, such as copper theft.

Car theft and property crime have been a worry in Medicine Hat and the surrounding area for years.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada placed Medicine Hat among Alberta’s top five communities for growth in auto theft from 2021 to 2024, Southern Alberta Newspapers reported in May. The city saw a 36 per cent rise over that period.

In 2024 there were 8,272 auto thefts in Alberta RCMP areas. Trucks were the most commonly stolen vehicle. A 2023 Statistics Canada report found that motor vehicle theft rates were higher in the Prairie provinces, especially Alberta. In rural Alberta, police reported 558 motor vehicle theft incidents per 100,000 people, a rate seven times higher than in rural Prince Edward Island.

Under Bill C-14 courts must weigh a person’s open charges and past record more closely before granting bail.

The Alberta RCMP has set up crime reduction units in all four of its districts to target repeat offenders and repeat crime trends.

The government says the law alone is not enough. Provinces and territories run much of the justice system, including police, bail courts and jails. The federal government is offering up to $250,000 to each province and territory to help collect better bail data.

Bill C-14 is one of four crime bills the federal government has introduced since the fall of 2025. The others are the Combating Hate Act, the Protecting Victims Act and the Lawful Access Act.

Some changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act will come into force at a later date.

Fraser says more work is still ahead.

“Now that these changes are law, effective implementation will be essential,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to work with provinces, territories, and municipalities to help ensure these changes achieve their intended impact and help build safer communities.”