Bill S-209 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (exception to mandatory minimum sentences for manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill S-209 proposes to create exceptions to mandatory minimum four-year sentences for firearm-related manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death when the victim engaged in a pattern of abuse against the offender.
Bill S-209 is a proposed federal law that would change criminal sentencing rules in Canada. Currently, the Criminal Code requires judges to impose a mandatory minimum sentence of four years in prison for manslaughter or criminal negligence causing death when a firearm is used. Bill S-209 would create an exception to these mandatory minimum sentences. If a judge is satisfied that the victim engaged in a pattern of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse of the offender, the judge would be allowed to sentence the offender to life imprisonment without the four-year minimum requirement. In other words, the bill would give judges more discretion in sentencing in cases where a victim's abusive conduct toward the offender is established. This bill was introduced in the Senate on November 6, 2013, and did not proceed further in Parliament.
- Amends section 220 of the Criminal Code (criminal negligence causing death) to add paragraph (a.1), which allows a court to impose life imprisonment without a mandatory minimum four-year term if the court is satisfied the victim engaged in a pattern of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse of the offender
- Amends section 236 of the Criminal Code (manslaughter) to add paragraph (a.1), which allows a court to impose life imprisonment without a mandatory minimum four-year term if the court is satisfied the victim engaged in a pattern of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse of the offender
- These amendments apply only when a firearm was used in the commission of the offence
- Judges and courts that impose sentences for manslaughter or criminal negligence causing death involving the use of a firearm
- Offenders charged with or convicted of manslaughter or criminal negligence causing death with a firearm who may benefit from judicial discretion in sentencing
- Canadian criminal justice system more broadly, regarding sentencing discretion in serious violent offences
- A court imposing sentence must be satisfied that the victim engaged in a pattern of conduct (not isolated incidents) that constituted physical, sexual, or psychological abuse of the offender before applying the exception to the mandatory minimum
- When the exception applies, judges retain the authority to impose life imprisonment but are no longer bound by the four-year minimum term
- Bill S-209 received First Reading on November 6, 2013
- The bill did not proceed further and never became law
- The proposed amendments do not create new penalties but rather modify existing ones by removing the mandatory minimum sentence requirement in specific circumstances
- The bill text does not define what constitutes a 'pattern' of abuse—it is unclear how many incidents or what duration would satisfy this threshold
- The bill does not specify what evidence or standard of proof a court must use to determine whether the victim engaged in abusive conduct
- The bill does not explain how courts should apply this exception in practice or provide guidance on sentencing ranges below the four-year minimum
- Bill S-209 did not proceed further in Parliament (status: 'Bill not proceeded with'), so it never became law and no actual sentencing decisions have been made under these provisions
Adds a new provision that allows judges to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the mandatory minimum four-year term when a firearm is used and the victim engaged in a pattern of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse of the offender
Source: Clause 1 of Bill S-209
Adds a new provision that allows judges to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the mandatory minimum four-year term when a firearm is used and the victim engaged in a pattern of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse of the offender
Source: Clause 2 of Bill S-209
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
Bill S-209, concerning exceptions to mandatory minimum sentences for certain offenses, completed its first reading in the Senate in November 2013 but was later dropped from the Order Paper in February 2014.
This artifact describes the first reading of Bill S-209 in the Senate on November 6, 2013. This bill aimed to amend the Criminal Code concerning mandatory minimum sentences for manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death. However, the bill was later dropped from the Senate Order Paper on February 5, 2014, meaning it did not proceed further in the legislative process.
On November 6, 2013, Bill S-209, which seeks to create exceptions to mandatory minimum sentences for certain types of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death, was introduced and read for the first time in the Senate, after which the Senate proceeded with other business, and the bill was later noted as not having been proceeded with.
This record details the first reading of Bill S-209 in the Senate on November 6, 2013. The bill aims to amend the Criminal Code concerning mandatory minimum sentences for manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death. The artifact also includes various other Senate proceedings such as tabling reports, notices of motions, and debates on other matters, but it does not contain a decision or vote on Bill S-209 itself. The bill was subsequently noted as 'Bill not proceeded with'.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced