Thursday October 8, 2020 | OTTAWA / Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke
by Mary P Brooke, editor | Island Social Trends
Federal NDP Justice Critic Randall Garrison (local MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke) on Monday this week (October 5) introduced an NDP bill this week in the House of Commons about protecting more Canadians from domestic abuse.
The legislation would help address domestic violence in Canada by making controlling or coercive conduct in an intimate relationship a criminal offence.
Similar provisions have been added to the criminal code in the United Kingdom and in June, the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime called on the Minister of Justice for legislation that makes this change.
Pre-empting intimate partner abuse:
“Creating this new offence will help stop serious harm already being inflicted on intimate partners, and it will also allow police to take action before things escalate,” said Garrison.
“Right now, Police regularly have to wait until physical violence takes place before they can intervene. This bill would help Canadians living in unsafe situations to get help earlier instead of living in fear of an abusive partner,” said Garrison.
Bill C-247 recognizes the serious harm caused by controlling or coercive conduct in an intimate relationship, including psychological damage resulting from the fear of violence, damage to mental and/or physical health, and damage resulting from limitations on an intimate partner’s ability to carry on an independent and autonomous life.
Not all homes are safe:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the fact that not every home is a safe home,” said Lindsay Matthyssen, NDP critic for Women and Gender Equality. “People living in fear of violence should not have to experience violence before receiving help and protection. The government has a responsibility to do all it can to keep women and girls safe.”
The COVID impact:
During the COVID-19 pandemic during which people were asked to self-isolate at home, it became more evident as to the extent of domestic violence in Canada.
“During this pandemic, governments have told Canadians to stay home to stay safe, but unfortunately not every home is a safe place. In fact, I know in my riding, as in most communities, police have seen a spike in domestic violence calls during the pandemic,” said Garrison in the House of Commons this week.
Garrison is the MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke which also includes Colwood and parts of View Royal. RCMP for those areas include the West Shore detachment and Sooke detachment.
Prevention in other cases:
Garrison also said in the presentation of Bill C-247: “If this bill had already been enforced, it might have been possible to prevent the shootings in Portapique, Nova Scotia, earlier this year. The shootings began with an incident of domestic violence between individuals whose problematic relationships had been brought to the attention of the police by neighbours and friends numerous times, though without ever rising to the level of physical violence that would have allowed police to act.”
“This bill will fill that gap. The federal ombudsman for victims of crime has recently called for adding this kind of provision to our Criminal Code, and a similar bill has been enacted in the U.K.”