Summary#
Bill 13, introduced by Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière in 2025, proposes several public safety measures in Quebec.
It would notably create:
- A committee responsible for deciding whether information about certain high-risk sex offenders should be made public.
- A disclosure regime that could include the name, photo, physical description, municipality or region of residence, and release conditions. The dissemination would be limited to three years and must include a warning against vigilante justice.
- A prohibition on demonstrating within 50 meters of the residence of a Member of Parliament, a municipal elected official, or an elected prefect.
- Prohibitions during a demonstration regarding the possession or projection of objects, explosive substances, pyrotechnic devices, or materials that could injure, threaten, intimidate, or damage property.
- Search and seizure powers without a warrant when the police have reasonable grounds to believe that a person possesses such an object.
The bill would also allow the Minister of Public Security to list certain entities as having a criminal purpose. The public display of their symbols or names would then be prohibited, except in contexts such as journalism, education, art, culture, or judicial proceedings.
Other measures concern:
- The sharing of certain police services.
- The creation of Indigenous police boards to manage a common police force.
- The communication of certain police information to victims of domestic violence or other crimes.
- The possibility for a victim to read their written representations during certain sessions of the Quebec Parole Board.
- The governance of the Bureau of Private Security.
The text provides that the regime for sex offenders would come into effect after the adoption of the necessary regulations.
What This Means for You#
- Individuals released after serving a sentence for a sexual offense could be subject to public disclosure if the committee determines that public safety outweighs their rights to privacy, freedom, and security.
- An individual affected could submit written observations and challenge the decision before the Administrative Tribunal of Quebec within 60 days.
- Individuals participating in a demonstration would need to remain at least 50 meters away from the property where the residence of the targeted elected official is located.
- The police could search a person and their immediate surroundings without a warrant if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person possesses a prohibited object during a demonstration.
- Fines could be imposed:
- $250 to $1,250 for demonstrating too close to the residence of an elected official;
- $500 to $5,000 for the possession or projection of prohibited objects or substances;
- $1,000 to $5,000 for the public display of a prohibited symbol or name.
- Fines would be doubled in the case of reoffending.
- Victims could receive certain conditions of release for a person suspected of a crime when that information is necessary for their safety.
- A victim could request to read their representations during a parole hearing, unless it reasonably risks compromising their safety or that of another person.
Costs#
No official estimate of the overall costs of the bill is provided in the available materials.
The establishment of the committee, the management of information, disclosure decisions, challenges before the Administrative Tribunal of Quebec, and updates could incur costs for the government and police forces.
Municipalities could also incur costs if they initiate prosecutions in municipal court. However, they would retain the fines collected from the prosecutions they initiate.
Supporters' Viewpoint#
Supporters might argue that the bill:
- Enhances public protection against certain high-risk sex offenders;
- Provides individuals and families with information to take precautions;
- Strengthens the safety of elected officials and private residences;
- Facilitates police interventions during demonstrations where weapons, dangerous substances, or incendiary objects are present;
- Helps combat the public visibility of entities associated with criminal activities;
- Improves information provided to victims;
- Promotes a police organization tailored to the needs of Indigenous communities.
The decision-making mechanism by a committee and the right to contest also aim to regulate the disclosure of information.
Opponents' Viewpoint#
Opponents might fear that the bill:
- Violates the privacy, reputation, and social reintegration of individuals subject to public disclosure;
- Makes sensitive information public even after the individual has completed their sentence;
- Grants broad powers to the government and police to establish a list of entities with criminal purposes;
- Limits freedom of expression and the right to protest, particularly with the 50-meter zone around the residences of elected officials;
- Allows searches without a warrant in circumstances that could lead to abuse or uneven application;
- Creates uncertainty regarding which objects, symbols, or names would be prohibited;
- Does not yet specify several important elements, which would be determined by regulation, including the definition of a sex offender and the committee's analysis criteria.