On August 14, the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, reaffirmed his government’s support for amending our Criminal Code to protect the many Canadians impacted by coercive control.
Minister Virani’s remarks were captured in a letter to David Cameron, Regional Supervising Coroner – Inquests, for Ontario, who led the inquiry into the murder of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam in Renfrew County on September 22, 2015.
The coroner’s jury made 86 recommendations, including Recommendation 85, advocating that coercive control be included as a criminal offence, and Recommendation 1, to formally declare intimate partner violence as an epidemic.
The gravity of the recommendations reflect a startling reality:
Minister Virani joins a chorus of voices advocating for the criminalization of coercive control. Previously, all federal parties supported the exploration of a coercive control offense through endorsement of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights report, The Shadow Pandemic: Stopping Coercive and Controlling Behaviour in Intimate Relationships.
Speak up to Stop Coercive Control
You can show your support for survivors and act now to prevent further violence by showing your support for the criminalization of coercive control.