Bill C-293 Violent Home Invasion

C-293 An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Violent Home Invasion)

Bill Type:  Private Member’s Bill 

Bill Sponsor:  Michael Guglielmin (Vaughan—Woodbridge)

Status: Outside the Order of Precedence

Latest Activity:  Introduction and First-Reading on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 (House of Commons)

Estimated Read Time:  3 minutes

What is this Bill For?

Bill C-293 would create a separate Criminal Code offense called “Violent Home Invasion.”

It would apply to someone who, without lawful excuse, enters or is in a dwelling or house while knowing it is occupied or being reckless about whether it is occupied and engages in at least one of the acts listed in the Bill.

Those acts include 

• intimidation
• violence
• threats
• bodily harm
• property damage
• confinement
• carrying a weapon or an imitation weapon.

The proposed offense would carry a minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum of life imprisonment.

The Bill would also change the home invasion aggravating circumstance used in sentencing for specified existing offenses. It would add the new offense to provisions concerning bail and the definition of a primary designated offense.

WHO GAINS POWER

Prosecutors could bring a charge under the new Violent Home Invasion provision where its required elements are alleged.

Courts could convict and sentence a person for that separate offense. The sentencing range written into the Bill would be five years to life imprisonment.

The new offense would also become part of the existing bail provision identified in Clause 5 and the primary designated offense definition identified in Clause 4.

WHO LOSES POWER

Sentencing Judges would not have discretion under the proposed provision to impose a prison term below its five year minimum.

For convictions under the existing offenses listed in Section 348.1, Courts would have to consider the commission of violent home invasion under the new Section 349.1 as an aggravating circumstance. An aggravating circumstance is a factor that counts toward a more serious sentence.

People charged with the new offense would also be subject to its addition to Section 515(6)(a), rather than being considered only under the provisions that otherwise apply to their case.

WHO GAINS MONEY

The Bill does not establish a grant, compensation program or new funding allocation.

It does not direct money to homeowners, victims, police or other organizations.

WHO LOSES MONEY

The Bill does not create a fine, fee or financial penalty.

It does not provide a cost estimate for investigating, prosecuting or imprisoning people under the new offense.

THE CATCH

⚠️ “Violent Home Invasion” would not require physical injury in every case.

The listed acts are alternatives. Intimidation, threats to property, property damage and carrying an imitation weapon are among the acts that could satisfy this part of the offense.

The other requirements would still have to be met: the person must be in or enter the dwelling house without lawful excuse and know it is occupied or be reckless about whether it is occupied.

⚠️ The proposed minimum sentence is five years.

The Bill sets the same minimum and maximum sentencing range for the new offense across its listed forms of conduct. It does not set separate ranges for cases involving injury, property damage, intimidation or an imitation weapon.

Life imprisonment is the maximum, not a required sentence in every case.

⚠️ The new offense would also affect sentencing for specified existing offenses.

Clause 1 would require Courts sentencing someone for the offenses listed in Section 348.1 to treat the commission of the new Violent Home Invasion offense as an aggravating circumstance.

The Bill does not expressly require consecutive sentences.

⚠️ There are additional bail and designated offense changes.

Clause 5 adds the new offense to Section 515(6)(a). Clause 4 adds it to the definition of a primary designated offense in Section 487.04.