Niagara Conservative MPs and victims’ advocates are vowing to continue pushing for changes to Canada’s justice and correctional systems following the defeat of legislation that would have required some of the country’s most dangerous offenders to remain in maximum-security prisons.
Members of Parliament voted down (190-133 vote) Bill C-232, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (Maximum Security Offenders), on June 10 following the conclusion of second-reading debate in the House of Commons.
The private member’s bill was introduced by Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli. It would have required inmates designated as dangerous offenders or convicted of more than one first-degree murder to be classified as maximum security and confined in a maximum-security penitentiary or a maximum-security area within a penitentiary.
“Bill C-232 would have required inmates who had been found to be dangerous offenders or those convicted of more than one first-degree murder to be assigned a security classification of maximum and confined in a maximum-security penitentiary or area in a penitentiary. Instead, the Liberal government voted against the bill,” Baldinelli said following the vote.
“This legislative effort was about doing what was right, by ensuring criminal monsters such as Paul Bernardo, Mark Smich, Dellen Millard, and Luka Magnotta were returned to serve their sentences in maximum security, where they rightly belonged. Sadly, these Mark Carney Liberals voted against this common-sense change.”
Baldinelli argued that the offenders should not have been transferred out of maximum-security confinement and blamed federal policy changes introduced through Bill C-83, which was passed in 2019.
“These criminals should never have been allowed to be transferred from maximum-security confinement. Yet, because of bad Liberal policies in Bill C-83, that is exactly what happened in all of these cases,” he said.
“The bill should have been considered a non-partisan and common-sense solution to an issue too often plaguing our criminal justice system. A system which seems to favour the rights of the offender over those of victims and their families.”
The vote came approximately two weeks after survivors of child sexual violence and their family members travelled from Niagara to Parliament Hill to call for reforms involving offender accountability, victim protection and public safety.
The May 26 roundtable was chaired by Niagara South MP Fred Davies and brought members of the Niagara-based Our Heart on Our Sleeve organization before parliamentarians from both sides of the aisle.
The delegation was led by St. Catharines resident Alicia Googoo, who spoke about the lifelong effects of childhood sexual violence, including her own experiences with trauma, addiction and homelessness and her 13-year journey of sobriety.
“Public safety, offender accountability, and victim protection are not abstract policy issues for me,” Googoo said. “Their outcomes have consequences for real children, families, and survivors.”
Googoo also discussed the death of her sister, who experienced trauma-related homelessness and addiction before being found deceased in a homeless encampment in 2018.
“This is the dark, enduring reality of the lifelong impact of child sexual violence,” Googoo said. “The painful truth is that many survivors do not survive this struggle.”
Our Heart on Our Sleeve was established following the August 2025 sexual assault of a three-year-old girl identified as “Little E.”
Advocate Melissa Ponsen told parliamentarians that the alleged perpetrator, Daniel Senecal, had been on early release following a previous conviction for sexually assaulting her then-12-year-old son.
“That second victim ‘Little E’ should never have existed,” Ponsen said. “That child and their family are now living a nightmare that could have been prevented.”
The organization is advocating for several systemic changes, including bail reform, stricter sentencing and targeted measures intended to improve offender oversight and community safety.
Melissa Googoo, Alicia’s sister and a fellow survivor, told the roundtable that greater offender oversight should be viewed as a preventative measure rather than an act of retribution.
“It is not about revenge. It is not about punishment,” Melissa Googoo said. “This is about protection, awareness, and prevention. Parents have the right to know who may pose a risk near their children.”
“Communities have the right to take precautions.”
The survivors’ advocacy became part of the debate surrounding Bill C-232, with Alicia Googoo publicly endorsing Baldinelli’s proposed legislation before the vote.
“As a survivor, I understand the lasting fear and trauma that violent offenders can leave behind. I know the dangers that can exist when society fails to take the risks posed by the most dangerous offenders seriously. Bill C-232 sends a clear message that public safety matters and that the protection of Canadians must remain a priority,” she said.
Marcia Penner, a victims’ rights advocate and friend of Kristen French, also supported the legislation.
“As someone whose life has been forever impacted by violent crime, I know firsthand that victims and their families carry the consequences of these horrific acts every day. Canadians expect the most dangerous offenders to remain in maximum-security institutions, and Bill C-232 helps restore that common-sense principle while respecting the voices of victims,” Penner said.
Niagara Regional Police Chief Bill Fordy said discussions about the justice system’s response to serious and repeat offenders are important to public confidence and community safety.
“Community safety is strengthened when we continue to have thoughtful conversations about how our justice system responds to serious and repeat offenders. Police officers see every day the impact violent crime can have on victims and our entire community, which is why these discussions matter. Our focus remains on protecting the public while supporting victims and maintaining confidence in the justice system,” Fordy said.
During the May roundtable, Davies acknowledged the difficulty faced by survivors who publicly recount their experiences.
“This is probably one of the hardest things you could do,” Davies told the delegation. “I think we’ve heard what you’ve had to say, and we are all committed to initiating changes.”
Davies said the assault involving “Little E” occurred on the same street where his grandparents once lived and where he had felt safe as a child.
“This was a gut punch for me when I learned where ‘Little E’ was assaulted,” Davies said. “I had just begun my parliamentary duties and could never have envisioned an issue like this, but I knew immediately that I would focus on serious changes to the Criminal Code.”
Conservative MP Anna Roberts also praised the survivors and committed to continuing the pursuit of legislative reform within her caucus.
Conservative justice critic and former Crown attorney Larry Brock called for national standards surrounding victim notification and improved cooperation between governments on victim services.
“Think about the victims who will be living a life sentence of the trauma,” Brock said. “There has to be a professional standard. Here’s an opportunity for the federal government to step up and lead the way.”
Following the defeat of Bill C-232, Baldinelli said the proposed changes would have helped restore confidence in the federal correctional system while recognizing the continuing pain experienced by victims and their loved ones.
“Bill C-232 would have helped restore Canadians’ confidence in our federal corrections system, and it would have demonstrated the deserved compassion to victims of crime and their loved ones, who are forced to live with the lifetime of pain and suffering caused by those who committed these unspeakable crimes,” he said.
“I made a promise to my constituents to fight to correct a bad policy decision made by the Liberal government. Despite this setback, I remain committed to ensuring changes will be made so that the rights of victims and their families are made the priority over those of the offenders.”
Members of Our Heart on Our Sleeve have similarly said their work will continue as they seek to keep survivor voices at the centre of discussions surrounding justice reform and public safety.
“This is only the start for your advocacy. This is just day one for change,” Davies said.
