Be the Peace Institute had the opportunity to present to Justice Canada, during virtual panels with academics, gender-based violence advocates, service providers, police, prosecutors and survivors to discuss the creation of a potential coercive control offence in the context of intimate relationships. We have also submitted a written brief on our position to Justice Canada.
Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani responded to the Supervising Coroner of the Renfrew County Femicide Inquiry with a declaration of GBV as an epidemic in Canada.
Some of our research has been considered relevant to the work of the Mass Casualty Commission’s Public Inquiry into the mass shooting in April of 2020 and has been submitted into the public record. This research was focused on bystander reluctance to report intimate partner violence (IPV) to police and is available on their website, or here.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an annual international campaign from November 25 to December 10, is here. An action we have taken and are encouraging others to take: sign and share this Federal Petition from the African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent (ANSDPAD) Coalition for a government apology for Canada’s role in the enslavement of African people. Learn more in our blog post.
Be the Peace Institute made a written submission to the pre-budget consultations in advance of the Federal Budget for 2023.
These recommendations outline our identified priorities for spending to help end GBV based on our many years of experience in the field, collaborating with front line, community-based services and support, intersecting government departments, academic researchers and what we have heard from survivours themselves.
The House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women invited the public to submit written briefs for its study on Intimate Partner and Domestic Violence in Canada - Be the Peace Institute contributed to a collaborative brief, shared a few weeks ago but here is our independent brief, submitted on behalf of our organization.
It reflects our key takeaways over 6 years of projects, partnerships, research, interviews and reflection on IPV in Nova Scotia with a particular focus on rural needs, barriers and solutions.
Be the Peace Institute helped craft the attached letter to the Premier from the Women and Children First subcommittee of the Metro Interagency Committee on Family Violence regarding the Child and Youth Commission, the need for an Office of the Child and Youth Advocate and reconsideration on the clawback of the Child Care Benefit when children enter care.
We are so proud to have contributed to this brief on IPV in Canada to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women with our amazing colleagues at the Metro Interagency Committee on Family Violence.
There are some specifically rural NS barriers & needs for those who have experienced IPV/GBV that need to be considered and if addressed, would help some of the most vulnerable victims of this issue.
Sue Bookchin, ED, and Project Officer Stacey Godsoe recently met with Mark Furey, Minister of Justice, to share ideas about justice system reform to better serve survivors of intimate partner violence. We thank Minister Furey for his comprehensive and thoughtful response, outlining the scope of initiatives our provincial Department of Justice is undertaking.
