(Ottawa) A Conservative MP is calling for an emergency meeting of the House of Commons Status of Women Committee to restart a study on violence against women.
Michelle Ferreri wrote a letter to the other members of the committee asking them to immediately call a meeting to begin this study.
The urgent appeal comes after two witnesses invited to testify about their personal experiences of domestic violence walked out in tears last month from a public parliamentary committee hearing that descended into partisan bickering.
One of the witnesses demanded an apology from the Liberal MP who had ended a planned discussion on violence against women to unexpectedly reframe the debate on abortion rights.
The agenda for the July 31 meeting included testimony on the “impacts of violent crimes against women.”
Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld later said in a written statement that she deeply regretted the “distress this meeting caused witnesses.”
Mme Ferreri says committee members should be “ashamed” of themselves for failing to provide a safe space for the two witnesses to share their experiences.