The federal Liberal government announced changes to the justice system Thursday that are intended to keep some offenders locked up for longer as Ottawa tries to drive down crime rates.

The new legislation, C-14, makes dozens of targeted changes to the bail and sentencing framework in the federal Criminal Code, something victims' rights advocates, police unions and some provincial premiers have long been demanding.

Those demands came amid an uptick in violent crime over the last decade or so — although crime rates were down slightly last year as the country recovers from a post-COVID surge.

The changes announced by Justice Minister Sean Fraser are designed to make bail more difficult to get. They include the creation of new so-called "reverse onuses," which means detention is the def

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