Research at a Glance: Mandatory Minimum Penalties

In general, Canadians are not supportive of the current mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs) regime and prefer a more individualized approach to sentencing.

We also found:

Most Canadians indicated that they have a low to moderate level of knowledge of MMPs (52% low and 28% moderate).

Over three quarters (77%) of Canadians believed that in general, applying the same minimum sentence to all offenders who are convicted of the same offence is now fair and appropriate. Only 16% of Canadians believed MMPs lead to fair sentences.