Nanaimo-Ladysmith: Addressing criminal justice reform and public safety on a local level

Lisa Marie Barron (i) (NDP): Every Canadian should feel safe in their own community. The challenges with our criminal justice system are complex and can’t be solved by band-aid solutions or rhyming slogans. The federal government must invest in the system and the professionals needed to function well without crippling backlogs. This includes more judges to hold accountable the most severe offenders and to implement restorative justice measures when appropriate.

Investments in parole officers and community supports to enact bail reform ensuring those released into the community are appropriately supervised and supported so the community is protected, and the individual has the best chance at successful rehabilitation and reintegration. No more revolving door that incarcerates offenders without useful intervention programs, only teaching them to be better criminals more likely to reoffend and repeat the same cycle at cost to communities and taxpayers.

For the system to work, government must also support law enforcement. When Poilievre and the Conservatives were the decision-makers, they cut $600 million from the RCMP budget and fired 1,100 border security officers, making it easier for illegal drugs and guns to cross our borders. Liberal have kept these cuts, further weakening Canada’s criminal justice system.

Lastly, we can’t ignore the interconnection between crime and access to mental health and addictions services, poverty, and over-representation of Indigenous, racialized, and other marginalized groups. When governments have clawed back supports for mental healthcare, substance use, housing, and pensions, we’ve seen the consequences: in our emergency rooms, in the justice system, and on our streets.

Michelle Corfield (Liberals): Public safety requires addressing both root causes and repeat harm. That means better access to housing, treatment, and restorative justice — while also ensuring bail reform and enforcement tools are in place to protect communities.

I’ve spent my career working across systems — federal, provincial, and Indigenous — to turn ideas into outcomes. I’ll bring that same determination to Ottawa. And no matter the outcome of this election, I’ll keep showing up for this region. We need policy rooted in local knowledge, not ideology — and I’m ready to lead that effort.

Tamara Kronis (Conservatives): Tackling crime is a top priority for me. A Conservative government will end the revolving door that puts criminals back on the streets hours after arrest. We’ll reform the justice system to put citizens and victims first—not criminals. Those convicted of murder or repeat violent offences will not be allowed back onto our streets. Conservatives will also ensure the strictest possible conditions for anyone accused of intimate partner violence and strengthened jail time for abusers.

Paul Manly (Green Party): To reduce repeat offenses, we need to deal with root causes: poverty, trauma, mental illness and addiction. Treating this as strictly a criminal justice issue doesn’t make our communities safer. I’ve seen this firsthand as an MP and as Executive Director of a homeless shelter.

When people have stable housing, access to treatment, and real support, they stop cycling through the system. That’s what actually improves public safety.

If elected, I’ll fight for federal funding for detox beds, long-term recovery programs, complex care housing, and accessible mental health services. I’ll fight to ensure they’re available when people need them, not months after they seek help.

Where appropriate, I’ll also support alternatives to jail that focus on healing, rehabilitation and restorative justice, especially for youth and people who’ve been left behind and struggled with poverty and discrimination. I’ll work with Indigenous leaders, local governments, and community organizations to expand these proven, community-led approaches.

At the same time, I support focusing police resources on disrupting toxic drug networks and organized crime. I will also support initiatives to ensure that repeat violent offenders and those that prey upon the vulnerable members of our community face real consequences for their actions.

We need a balanced, community-first approach that delivers safety, dignity, and real results. I’ll make that a priority in Parliament.

Stephen Welton (PPC): Many communities face challenges with repeat offenders in the criminal justice system. How would you work with local organizations, law enforcement, and community leaders to address these issues in a way that reduces these repeat offenders, promoting rehabilitation, while also ensuring public safety?

An age-old problem with liberalism, which we’ve been experiencing this past decade, is the tolerance of crime. I would advocate for re-criminalization of hard drugs, empowering the police to take action against repeat offenders, who statistically tend to be drug addicts. I would advocate for drug addicts convicted of crimes to be given the choice between treatment programs and prison, hoping they would choose the former. I would investigate the existing social programs and stop funding those organizations that have not only failed to improve the situation on our streets, but have actually made it worse, redirecting funding to those that can show tangible positive results. And yes, it is expensive to operate prisons; but, it is a far greater cost to citizens and society to leave criminals on the street.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Nanaimo-Ladysmith: Addressing criminal justice reform and public safety on a local level

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