The Supreme Court of Canada says that Alexander Bissonnette, who caused a deadly shooting at a mosque in Quebec City, can apply for parole after 25 years of his conviction.

In its unanimous decision today, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a provision of the 2011 Criminal Code that allowed a judge - in the case of multiple murders - to impose consecutive life sentences and 25-year parole ineligibility periods for each murder.

The Supreme Court says this provision violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that calls for fair and non-cruel treatment of offenders, because it can deprive them of the possibility of being granted parole before death, which is a degrading punishment and inconsistent with human dignity.

The Chief Justice said in the ruling: "By depriving offenders in advance of any possibility of reintegration into society, section 745.51 shakes the foundations of Canadian criminal law."

Bissonnette pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder in the January 2017 attack that took place immediately after evening prayers at a mosque in Quebec.

The judge found the parole ineligibility condition unconstitutional but did not declare it invalid, and ultimately Bissonnette must wait 40 years before applying for parole.

However, the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled the sentence unconstitutional and said that parole ineligibility periods should be served concurrently, meaning the total waiting period would be 25 years in Bissonnette's case.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair