Pam Damoff
Pam Damoff Official Portrait/ Portrait officielin Ottawa, ONTARIO, Canada on November 6, 2021. © HOC-CDCCredit: Bernard Thibodeau, House of Commons Photo Services
Gender-based violence is any act of violence based on someone’s gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender. Gender-based violence is a serious issue that affects everyone in Canada — but especially young women.
As reported in a 2018 survey, 1 in 10 women aged 15-24 had been sexually assaulted, 6 in 10 women aged 15-24 in Canada experienced unwanted sexual behaviours in public and 3 in 10 women aged 15-24 were emotionally, financially, or psychologically abused by a partner.
Part of ending gender-based violence is ensuring that judges understand what domestic violence looks like in the year 2022, especially in regard to intimate partner violence, non-physical violence, and coercive control. Judges must be well informed on the topic of domestic violence so that their primary focus in considering child custody in such cases be the best interests of the children involved.
Four-year-old Kiera Kagan was killed by her father in a murder-suicide in 2020 in Milton. In the years since her death, Kiera’s mom Jennifer has worked tirelessly with me to bring forward federal legislation, which was passed in the House of Commons earlier this year.
Private Member’s Bill C-233, informally called “Keira’s Law,” raises the level of education on domestic violence for federally appointed judges in Canada and officially introduces electronic monitoring as another release condition when the safety and security of a person, including an intimate partner or child, could be at risk. Jennifer’s strength and determination have changed the law in Canada and will forever be Keira’s legacy.
Earlier, my provincial counterpart MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos introduced a private members motion in the Ontario Legislature on the important issue of Intimate Partner Violence and Coercive Control. Most issues surrounding the family court system fall under provincial jurisdiction, so having the province on board and supportive of Keira’s Law and the training proposed in it is critical to saving lives and protecting children.
Canadians expect us to work across party lines and for various levels of government to work together for the betterment of all Canadians and for the protection of children. I would like to thank MPP Triantafilopoulos for bringing the motion before the legislature and for her commitment to advocating for a strong, informed, and safe provincial family court system.
