In Canada, a woman is murdered every 2.5 days—144 to 178 murders each year between 2015 and 2019—and in 2021, the rate of femicide was trending even higher across the country. Of the women murdered, 50% were killed by intimate partners and 26% by family members.

Halton Women’s Place is the shelter and support system in my own community for women fleeing abuse or in need of immediate assistance. They alone reported 2,200 crisis calls from the region in just 2021. This evidence shows that violence against women continues to be a serious problem, and while we all vigorously work to raise awareness and make changes, there is still so much more we need to do.

That is one of the reasons why November 25 has been declared the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and why the United Nations launched the international campaign from that day—16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence. It’s a time to break down barriers and work together to increase knowledge and end the cycle of violence against women and children.

It’s why I’ve introduced a motion, to be debated this Wednesday, to ensure that Ontario judges, crown attorneys, section 30 assessors and other professionals in the Family Court system have the knowledge they need to make their best judgment when dealing with child welfare.