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Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his party will introduce legislation to amend the Criminal Code and strengthen the rights of Canadians to defend themselves in their homes.

The announcement, made Friday in Brampton, comes amid national debate following the case of a Lindsay, Ont., homeowner charged with assault after a break-in ended with the intruder in critical condition.

Poilievre’s proposed “Stand on Guard” law would revise current self-defence provisions — which require meeting nine separate legal conditions — by creating a presumption that “the use of force, including lethal force, is presumed reasonable against an individual who unlawfully enters a house and poses a threat to the safety of anyone inside.”

“If you’re defending your house, you don’t have time to think through nine different conditions,” Poilievre told reporters. “You have one condition: to protect yourself and your kids.”

The proposal was the focus of discussion on Friday's Rebel Roundtable livestream, where hosts David Menzies and Drea Humphrey were joined by political commentator Kirk Lubimov and Calibre Magazine publisher Daniel Fritter.

Fritter welcomed the push to enshrine “Castle Doctrine” in Canadian law, but warned broader justice system reforms are also needed.

“The legal system… instead of assuming that you’re innocent of this, they simply charge you and they work through those nine criteria in the court — and you end up paying a ton,” he said. “By the time you’re acquitted, you’ve paid more than your life’s savings, you’ve probably remortgaged your house… It can be legal, but it can still be such a painful process to go through that it will ruin your life to engage in that.”