On Friday, April 29, I joined my colleagues and the family of Keira Kagan in Ottawa for a press conference on Bill C-233 which is headed to second reading in the House of Commons today. I am thrilled to be seconding the Bill.
If passed, this Private Member’s Bill, which includes what is known fondly known as “Keira’s Law,” will raise the level of education on domestic violence and coercive control for federally appointed judges in Canada and will officially introduce electronic monitoring as another release condition when the safety and security of a person, including an intimate partner, could be at risk.
Keira’s Law was named after Dr. Jennifer Kagan’s daughter and Philip Viater’s step-daughter Keira Kagan.
In 2020, four-year-old Keira was killed in an apparent murder-suicide by her father. After being ordered into his care unsupervised, she was killed despite many red flags and warning signs of her father’s escalating abusive and controlling behaviour.
This law will be Keira’s legacy.
If passed, Bill C-233 would allow newly appointed federal judges to receive education on domestic violence and coercive control, as well as to ensure that this education is made available for existing judges.
Bill C-233 would also introduce into the Criminal Code electronic monitoring control, in some cases at the judicial interim release phase, which is under section 515 of the Criminal Code.
This mechanism would ensure, to a greater extent, the safety and security of intimate partner complainants and their children. Judicial education around domestic violence and coercive control is one step in dealing with the systemic problem in society when it comes to understanding intimate partner violence and coercive control and how they affect children.
It is in the best interest of everyone that judges be well informed on the topic of family violence and that their primary focus in considering custody in such cases be the best interests of the children involved. It is time for all of us to work together to make sure Keira's Law becomes a reality in Canada.
With all-party support, the Bill has moved directly to the Status of Women Committee. If you would like to support Bill C-233, you can sign the petition initiated by Oakville North-Burlington resident Sonia Robinson.
