C-243 (45-1) - An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (parole review)
Chamber
commons
Stage
2nd Reading
Introduced
Sep 22, 2025
Progress
This bill removes the right of murder convicts to apply for parole, requiring reviews to happen only on fixed schedules.
Key Changes
- Removes the right of first or second degree murder convicts to apply for day parole after a denial or cancellation
- Removes the right of first or second degree murder convicts to apply for full parole after a denial or cancellation
- Parole reviews for murder convicts would only occur on the statutory (legally set) schedule, not on the offender's request
- Does not change parole rules for offenders convicted of crimes other than first or second degree murder
Gotchas
- The bill does not eliminate parole eligibility for murder convicts — it only removes their ability to self-initiate applications after a denial; reviews still happen on a fixed schedule.
- It is unclear from the bill text how frequently the statutory review schedule occurs for murder convicts, which affects how significant the practical restriction would be.
- This is a private member's bill, meaning it was introduced by a backbench MP rather than the government, and faces a lower likelihood of becoming law without government support.
- The change could reduce the number of parole hearings victims' families are required to attend or prepare for, which may be seen as a benefit by some affected parties.
- There may be legal considerations around whether restricting self-initiated applications for this specific category of offender raises Charter of Rights and Freedoms questions, though the bill does not address this.
Who's Affected
- People serving sentences for first degree murder
- People serving sentences for second degree murder
- The Parole Board of Canada
- Victims' families who may be affected by parole hearing frequency
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill does not eliminate parole eligibility for murder convicts — it only removes their ability to self-initiate applications after a denial; reviews still happen on a fixed schedule.
- It is unclear from the bill text how frequently the statutory review schedule occurs for murder convicts, which affects how significant the practical restriction would be.
- This is a private member's bill, meaning it was introduced by a backbench MP rather than the government, and faces a lower likelihood of becoming law without government support.
- The change could reduce the number of parole hearings victims' families are required to attend or prepare for, which may be seen as a benefit by some affected parties.
- There may be legal considerations around whether restricting self-initiated applications for this specific category of offender raises Charter of Rights and Freedoms questions, though the bill does not address this.
Summary
Bill C-243 changes the rules around parole for people convicted of first or second degree murder. Currently, after the Parole Board denies or cancels parole, an offender can apply again on their own initiative. This bill would remove that ability — instead, parole can only be reviewed according to the set time frames already written in law, not whenever the offender chooses to apply. This change only applies to people serving sentences for first or second degree murder. For all other offenders, the existing rules about applying for parole would remain the same. The bill was introduced as a private member's bill by Mr. Diotte in September 2025. It appears aimed at limiting how frequently murder convicts can seek parole by removing their ability to trigger reviews through personal applications after a denial.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses
Recorded Votes
| Date | Description | Yeas | Nays | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 2026 | 2nd reading of Bill C-243, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (parole review) | 136 | 192 | Negatived |