Over the past few months, Melanie has spoken frequently on Canada’s evolving bail and criminal justice landscape.  An important part of her advocacy work for the Canadian Bar Association and for the bar at large, these discussions aim to bring legal context and critical perspectives to public debate on issues affecting individuals, communities, and the rule of law.  As 2025 comes to a close, here’s a look back on her commentary on legal affairs.

Parliamentary Testimony: House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights

Earlier in the fall, Melanie was privileged to appear again before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights as part of its study on the bail system, sentencing, and the handling of repeat violent offenders in Canada. During her testimony, she answered questions on key aspects of bail law and systemic challenges.

Quoted in the News

Melanie spoke with different media outlets over the course of the fall on the issue of bail reform at both the federal and provincial levels.  See the following links for more information. 

• CBA National: Proposed bail reforms will imprison innocent people (October 23, 2025)
• The Globe & Mail: Ontario looks to revive use of cash bail, raising Charter concerns (November 24, 2025)
• CBA National: Ontario’s ‘atrocious’ plan for cash bail may be unconstitutional (November 27, 2025)
• Melanie also recently appeared on Global News Toronto to discuss the interaction between federal and provincial bail legislation, discussing how proposed changes at both levels of government could lead to unintended downstream consequences, and balancing the rights of the accused with public safety concerns.

For more in-depth discussions on bail reform, have a listen to one or both of these podcasts on these issues:

• The Toronto Star’s It’s Political with Althia Raj: “Do we need bail reform?” (October 17, 2025)
• Verdicts & Voices:  “Do we need a bail bill?  Melanie Webb and Daniel Lerner react to Bill C-14” (October 29, 2025)

On other criminal justice issues:

• CBA National: Supreme Court strikes down mandatory minimum sentences for child porn (October 31, 2025)
• Toronto Star: Carney government’s justice bill proposes tougher sentences for intimate partner violence and child predators (December 9, 2025)