NDP MP Olivia Chow has put forth a private member's bill seeking to expand citizens' arrest rights.

Chow was motivated to propose the bill by her mother, who prodded her to help Chinatown grocer David Chen, who is facing charges of assault and forcible confinement for making a citizen's arrest in May.

"It is so unfair to see hardworking storeowners like David Chen be treated like criminals," Chow said outside Chen's Lucky Moose Food Mart today. Her bill, dubbed "the Lucky Moose Bill," would allow individuals to detain criminals within "a reasonable amount of time" after a crime has been committed. Current laws allow storeowners to apprehend individuals only when catching them in the act.

Chow says she will be presenting a petition of with more than 10,000 names to the House of Commons next week.