Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is pitching tough-on-crime legislation ahead of Parliament's return, saying some communities have become "war zones" and a crackdown is needed now.
The Liberal government is also promising legislation of its own this fall to tighten up a bail system that some law enforcement and victims' rights advocates say is too lenient, allowing repeat criminal offenders out into the community at the expense of public safety.
The push to curb crime comes as some data suggests crime is actually coming down after a post-pandemic spike.
According to figures compiled by Statistics Canada, the police-reported crime rate dropped by 3.6 per cent from a year earlier to 5,672 incidents per 100,000 population — although it is still higher than it was when the last Liberal government was first elected in 2015.
The drop is driven by a notable decrease in no
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