British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma says the murder of Bailey McCourt marks a tragic turning point in the effort to strengthen Canada's response to intimate partner violence.
“It was a tragedy and I think it shocked all of us in British Columbia,” Sharma said.
McCourt's death has galvanized women across the province, including her aunt Debbie Henderson.
“We're going to keep making noise until Ottawa hears us, until all sides hear us. Come together, work together, get this done,” Henderson said.
Sharma sent a public letter to federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser calling for a presumption of first-degree murder in some intimate partner violence cases.
“(We're) simply putting these protections in place to ensure that throughout the justice system, all the way up to murder charges, intimate partner violence is taken seriously,” she said.
James Plover is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his ex-wife, Bailey McCourt. Hours before the attack, he was found guilty of assault and making threats in a separate case.
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The murder charge is currently being considered in court, with no verdict yet.
Advocates warn the system still doesn't do enough. “The real problem we face is that there are still no significant steps being taken to prevent the next femicide,” said Hilla Kerner of the Vancouver Shelter for Women and Rape Victims.
Federal officials point to a new bail law introduced last month.
A spokesman for the Justice Secretary said bail “will be more difficult to obtain for those accused of serious sexual offences, including those involving strangulation, suffocation and suffocation” and that house arrest is being waived for serious sexual assault, so offenders serve their sentences in custody rather than in the same communities as victims.
Kerner says early intervention is important. “We must sanction men as soon as the first report of assault, strangulation or threatening is made,” she said.
Sharma says Minister Fraser has committed to making further changes by the end of the year.
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