The Liberal government has tabled legislation aiming to protect victims of intimate partner and sexual violence, while expanding measures to protect children from predators.
“We have an opportunity to better protect kids who are at risk of exploitation, and to address very real concerns about violence against women, including violence that could be fatal,” Justice Minister Sean Fraser said during a Dec. 9 press conference.
Bill C-16, also known as the Protecting Victims Act, would treat murders motivated by control, hate, sexual violence, or exploitation as first-degree murder, even if the murder wasn’t planned or deliberated in advance. The justice department said in a press release that such killings “overwhelmingly target women,” and reported that intimate partner homicides rose by 39 percent in 2024….