(Quebec) The Minister responsible for the Status of Women is in favor of adding the term “feminicide” to the Criminal Code, as requested by organizations fighting against domestic violence. Martine Biron will educate her vis-à-vis at the federal level this summer.
The minister accepted the request of the solidarity deputy Ruba Ghazal, who questioned her on the subject during the budgetary study of the credits for the Status of Women on Wednesday.
Mme Biron first said she was in favor of adding the term “feminicide” to the Criminal Code, then promised to raise this issue with the Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Marci Ien.
“I am in regular contact with her. […]I’m going to see her at the end of the summer and I’m going to talk to her about it, ”replied Mme Biron to the member for Mercier.
THE Montreal Journal reported at the beginning of March that organizations fighting against domestic violence are asking Ottawa to include the term “feminicide” in the Criminal Code in order to recognize the existence of this crime and facilitate police work.
The London Police Services Board, in Ontario, launched a consultation last July to sound out civil society on the interest of adding the term to the Criminal Code.
According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, femicides have increased in Canada since the pandemic. In 2022, 184 women were killed by men, a 27% increase from 2019.