441-02573 (Justice)

We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to the following:

Whereas:

The Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Bissonnette struck down section 745.51 of the Criminal Code, which allowed parole ineligibility periods to be applied consecutively for mass murderers;

As a result of Bissonnette, some of Canada's most heinous mass murderers will have their parole ineligibility period reduced, now being eligible to apply for parole after only 25 years;

Bissonnette is an unjust decision, putting the interests of some of Canada's worst criminals ahead of the rights of their victims;

Recurring parole hearings can retraumatize the families of victims of mass murderers; and

The Government of Canada has tools at its disposal to respond to Bissonnette, including invoking the Notwithstanding Clause.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, urge the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to invoke the Notwithstanding Clause and override Bissonnette.