Bill C-225

An Act to amend the Criminal Code

This enactment amends the Criminal Code in order to:
(a) create specific offences in respect of intimate partner violence and to prohibit a peace officer from releasing a person arrested for an intimate partner offence if the person has committed an intimate partner offence in the preceding five years or is at large on a release order in respect of an intimate partner offence;
(b) allow a court to order that an accused charged with an offence involving intimate partner violence be taken into custody for a risk-of-reoffending assessment at any stage of proceedings; and
(c) increase the detention period of things seized under section 490 of the Act from three months to one year and to provide for circumstances in which notices to the person from whom the thing was seized may be dispensed with.

Criminal Code

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-225, An Act to amend the Criminal Code.

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, but today I also rise on behalf of all Canadians, as this bill would make the most substantive changes on the subject of intimate partner violence in history.

Intimate partner violence is an insidious crime that often occurs behind closed doors. It affects all socio-economic groups and is vastly under-reported. Most homicides involve an intimate partner. For far too long, we as parliamentarians have sat idle.

This bill is a monumental change. First, it would create the unique offence of assault of an intimate partner, harassment of an intimate partner, and so on. Second, it would create a presumption that intimate partner violence that results in murder is first-degree murder. Third, it would create a mechanism by which a judge can order somebody into custody for a seven-day risk assessment in order to protect the intimate partner. Last, it would make a new stream for evidence to be streamlined and for the detention of evidence to be considered in a more appropriate way.

I ask that the House streamline the passing of this bill as quickly as possible. We have seen, far too often, examples like that of Bailey McCourt, which happened just a couple of hours from me. Intimate partner violence has gone on for far too long. We have sat idle for far too long. This is about giving voices to the voiceless, names to the nameless and faces to the faceless.

Let us pass this bill right away.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)