Bill S-221 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (mischief related to memorials to first responders)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 43rd 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-221 adds a new criminal offence in the Criminal Code for committing mischief against memorials to first responders, with minimum penalties starting at a $1,000 fine for a first offence.
Bill S-221 amends the Criminal Code to create a specific criminal offence for damaging or defacing memorials, statues, monuments, or other structures that honour first responders. First responders include police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and Canadian Forces members who provide emergency services. The bill protects monuments or structures that primarily serve to honour these individuals, as well as objects related to honouring or remembering them if located in or on the grounds of such structures or cemeteries. Anyone convicted of mischief against these memorials can face: - For a first offence: a minimum fine of at least $1,000 - For a second offence: minimum jail time of at least 14 days - For a third or subsequent offence: minimum jail time of at least 30 days Additionally, the maximum penalties depend on how the offence is prosecuted: - If prosecuted by indictment (more serious procedure): up to 10 years imprisonment - If prosecuted by summary conviction (less serious procedure): up to 18 months imprisonment The bill is currently at second reading in the Senate.
- Creates a new criminal offence for committing mischief against memorials to first responders
- Defines first responders as persons providing emergency services, including police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and Canadian Forces members providing those services
- Applies to buildings, structures, or parts of buildings or structures that primarily serve as monuments to honour first responders, including statues and monuments
- Applies to objects associated with honouring or remembering first responders if located in or on the grounds of such buildings or structures, or cemeteries
- Establishes minimum penalties: a fine of not less than $1,000 for a first offence
- Establishes minimum penalties: imprisonment for not less than 14 days for a second offence
- Establishes minimum penalties: imprisonment for not less than 30 days for each subsequent offence
- Establishes maximum penalties: up to 10 years imprisonment if prosecuted by indictment
- Establishes maximum penalties: up to 18 months imprisonment if prosecuted by summary conviction
- Any person who commits mischief against memorials to first responders
- Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and Canadian Forces members (whose memorials are protected)
- Courts and Crown prosecutors (who will enforce this new offence)
- Communities with memorials to first responders
- Persons are prohibited from committing mischief in relation to properties that serve as memorials to first responders
- Courts must impose at least the minimum penalties specified for each level of offence
- First offenders face a minimum $1,000 fine
- Repeat offenders face mandatory minimum jail sentences
- Bill is currently at second reading in the Senate (43rd Parliament, 2nd Session)
- No specific commencement date is provided in the bill text
- First offence: minimum fine of not less than $1,000
- Second offence: minimum imprisonment for not less than 14 days
- Third or subsequent offence: minimum imprisonment for not less than 30 days
- If prosecuted by indictment: maximum imprisonment up to 10 years
- If prosecuted by summary conviction: maximum imprisonment up to 18 months
- Offence can be prosecuted either by indictment or by summary conviction
- The bill text does not specify when this amendment would come into force
- The bill does not define what constitutes 'mischief' — this term is not newly defined but relies on existing Criminal Code definitions
- The bill does not specify how courts will determine whether a structure 'primarily serves' as a monument to first responders in borderline cases
- The bill does not clarify whether the new offence applies retroactively to conduct that occurred before the law comes into force
Adds a new subsection (4.12) creating a specific criminal offence for mischief against memorials to first responders, with prescribed minimum and maximum penalties
Source: Section 1 of Bill S-221
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
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Bill S-221, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (mischief related to memorials to first responders), was introduced for first reading in the Senate on December 8, 2020, as part of a broader Senate sitting that included various statements, committee report tablings, and debates on other matters.
On December 8, 2020, the Senate of Canada held its first reading of Bill S-221, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (mischief related to memorials to first responders). This procedural step means the bill was formally introduced to the Senate. The record also details other Senate proceedings, including senators' statements on various topics, tabling of committee reports, notices of motions, question period exchanges on government fiscal updates, hybrid sittings, vaccine rollout, violence against women, agricultural support, disaster mitigation, and 5G technology, as well as debates on other bills.
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