We are learning more about what’s inside Ottawa’s Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, and how B.C. played a big role in helping shape some of the key measures in the sweeping legislation.

Bill C-14, tabled in Parliament last week by Justice Minister Sean Fraser, takes direct aim at repeat and violent offenders.

The proposed changes to the Criminal Code reflect months of direct input from the provincial government, B.C. mayors, and local police forces who’ve been calling for tougher rules to keep high-risk offenders off the streets.

Among the biggest changes B.C. advocated for: reverse onus provisions for people charged in violent extortion cases and sexual assaults involving choking or strangulation.

That means the burden shifts to the accused to prove why they should be released on bail,

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