The “extreme intoxication” bill is undergoing an accelerated process

OTTAWA –

The House of Commons today passed the Liberal Government’s bill on “extreme intoxication” after agreeing yesterday to speed up its adoption.

The Senate can now move at any time to follow a similar process and pass Bill C-28 at all stages by unanimous proposal.

But during a committee on Tuesday night to examine the contents of the bill, several senators expressed serious concerns to Justice Minister David Lametti, expressing uncertainty about their desire to seal it without further scrutiny.

The bill will amend the Penal Code to create criminal liability in cases of violent crimes in which the offender can prove that he was “in a state of negligent self-induced intoxication.”

The new language will replace a similar provision, which the Supreme Court overturned unconstitutional in May.

In its proposal to pass the bill, the chamber agreed to envisage that the Justice Committee will thoroughly examine its implementation this fall, a move that Lametti said was also available to senators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 22, 2022.