Last month, the first set of reforms to the Criminal Code implemented during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s tenure came into force across Canada. The legislation establishes tougher sentencing guidelines for violent crimes and enacts stricter bail laws to address violent and repeat offending.

Public safety has not emerged as a significant issue for Canadians the past year, reaching only three per cent last month—far below the economy and jobs (25 per cent) or housing, homelessness and poverty (23 per cent). Still, crime is the one area where Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre has managed to get close to Carney when Canadians are asked to choose between the two leaders.

Canadians have been exposed to a barrage of media stories questioning the performance of the courts, particularly regarding repeat offenders. It is too early to judge the success of the recent Criminal Code reforms, but the public skepticism remains.

In August, Canadians said they were divided when asked if the justice system in Canada treats every person fairly: 44 per cent believe that it does while 43 per cent say it does not. This is virtually the same result we found in April 2023, when 45 per cent of Canadians agreed that the justice system is always fair, while 43 per cent disagreed.

Only in Quebec does a majority of respondents (51 per cent) agree the justice system is impartial. The proportions are lower in Ontario (44 per cent), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (42 per cent), Alberta (41 per cent), B.C. (also 41 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (37 per cent).

More than half of Canadians who voted for the Liberal party in last year’s federal election (58 per cent) think the justice system is fair. The figure falls to 46 per cent among Conservative party voters and 33 per cent among New Democratic Party (NDP) voters.

The notion of a justice system that is impartial resonates with majorities of Canadians whose origins are South Asian (63 per cent) and East Asian (61 per cent). Significantly lower proportions of Canadians whose heritage is European (41 per cent) or Indigenous (30 per cent) concur.

Two other components of the justice system fare differently. More than half of Canadians (54 per cent, down two points) think Canada’s criminal courts do a good job in determining whether an accused person is guilty. Fewer than two in five (38 per cent, up one point) believe Canada’s prison system does a good job in helping prisoners become law-abiding.

Perceptions of specific elements of the Youth Criminal Justice Act—which governs criminal and correctional law for people who have committed an offence between the ages of 12 and 18—have changed little.

We still see majorities of Canadians who support finding parents in contempt of court if they do not attend hearings or participate in the legal process (72 per cent, up three points), allowing non-violent, first-time offenders who are unlikely to re-offend to avoid trial in youth justice court by taking part in programs of extrajudicial sanctions (67 per cent, down two points) and disclosing the identity of the youths who have been charged only under special circumstances (65 per cent, down two points).

This year, only 43 per cent of Canadians agree with establishing that no person can be convicted of an offence while under the age of 12, down five points since 2023. Among Canadians aged 18 to 34, support for the option of convicting children reaches 50 per cent.

Support for alternative penalties—such as fines, probation or community service—is declining. Support is low for drunk driving (32 per cent, down six points) and arson (22 per cent, down three points). Across the country, about two in five Canadians would back these penalties for a person convicted of credit card fraud (43 per cent, down three points) or online harassment or cyberbullying (40 per cent, down five points).

Crime may not be displacing Canadians’ concerns about housing, jobs and health care, or Canada-U.S. relations. Still, the deep divide over the fairness of the justice system persists, and patience is running thin with both minors and criminals who avoid time behind bars.

Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.

Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from Aug. 17-19, 2026, among 1,002 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.