In December 2025, the federal government introduced Bill C-16: Protecting Victims Act, which proposes significant changes to various laws, including the Criminal Code. The stated purpose of this Bill is “to better protect survivors of gender-based violence,…
On a recent episode of CBC Radio’s Just Asking with Saroja Coelho, feminist lawyer and advocate Pamela Cross joined the conversation to talk about a form of abuse that’s all…
We’ve spent a lot of time engaged around the possible criminalization of coercive control over the last several years. Most recently, this involved appearing before Senate and House Committees and…
Last week, Luke’s Place submitted a Brief to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on Bill C-332, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (coercive control of…
At Luke’s Place, we support women and their children who have left abuse and are engaged with the family law/court process through both direct service and system change work. Through…
Case summary prepared by Luke’s Place Advocacy Director, Pamela Cross In this case (F.S. v. M.B.T. 2023 ONCJ 102), Justice Sherr carefully analyzes the context of family violence, including coercive…
Over the past 40 years, we have seen the many ways in which the criminal law has failed survivors of IPV. Criminal law interventions and initiatives – new laws, changes…
We’ve heard a lot about coercive control in the past few years. Its first big appearance in the legal world came with the 2021 revisions to the Divorce Act which…
The creation of a new coercive control offence in the Canadian Criminal Code is being explored following the tabling of two private member’s bills as well as the consideration of…
LEAF and Luke’s Place assisted in the preparation of a policy brief for Canadian Women’s Foundation on the criminalization of coercive control. The policy brief discusses the unintended consequences that may flow…
