FEWO meeting 14 · 2025-11-17 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

This House of Commons committee meeting on the Status of Women studied section 810 of the Criminal Code and women's safety. Appearing were Deepa Mattoo (Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic), Karine Gagnon and Jackie Huet (Crime Victims Assistance Centres Network), Laio Auger (Service de police de la Ville de Montréal), and Jennifer Davis (Waterloo Regional Police Service).

Deepa Mattoo argued that section 810 peace bonds are undermined by lengthy delays, a lack of guaranteed legal support, and conditions that fail to address coercive control or technology-facilitated abuse. She recommended adopting trauma-informed, survivor-centred reforms, including integrating social infrastructure like housing and child care, using dynamic risk assessment tools, and guaranteeing universal legal aid. She disagreed with the notion that harsher sentencing alone is a solution, stating that punitive measures have not made a significant dent in violence.

Karine Gagnon stated that the analytical framework for section 810 should be reviewed to better consider victims' rights, as the current system often focuses on perpetrators' freedoms. She highlighted problems with the short duration of peace bonds, the lack of ongoing risk assessment, and the common use of section 810 to avoid stays of proceedings under the Jordan decision, which can override victims' needs. She recommended that breaches of conditions should trigger a reversal of the burden of proof onto the perpetrator.

Laio Auger noted that in Montreal, applications under section 810 face a low authorization rate from the director of criminal and penal prosecutions due to an average five-month wait, leaving victims unprotected, while the municipal court offers faster decisions but lacks jurisdiction over newer measures like electronic monitoring. He supported the criminalization of coercive control and emphasized that section 810 is a crucial safety net, especially when victims disengage from the judicial process.

Jennifer Davis stated that section 810 orders are most effective for lower-risk situations but do not guarantee safety, and that multi-agency wraparound supports are necessary. She recommended investing in early intervention programs, mandating immediate firearm surrender and PAL suspension under section 810 orders, and formally defining coercive control in the Criminal Code. She expressed concern that GPS monitoring can provide a false sense of security, as it is often manipulated and places added strain on police resources.

Jackie Huet noted that section 810 is sometimes used to settle cases quickly due to concerns about the Jordan decision, which may not align with victims' wishes. She added that victims in Quebec often lack legal aid to initiate the process themselves, making it very complex for them to explain their fear for safety to the court.

The committee also heard testimony on the need for better training for police and other professionals to recognize coercive control, and on the importance of partnerships and prevention, including education for youth. There was discussion of the challenges posed by the Jordan decision, with witnesses noting that it can pressure prosecutors to use section 810 as a lesser evil to avoid stays of proceedings, sometimes against victims' interests. No procedural debate, motions, or votes were recorded during this meeting.

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Witnesses · 5

Deepa Mattoo

Executive Director and Lawyer, Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic

Opening remarks

Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for this invitation for the Barbara Schlifer Commemorative Clinic to contribute to this very important study. For over 40 years, the Schlifer clinic has worked at the intersection of gender-based violence, law and systemic advocacy. Each year, we support thousands of gender-diverse people and women who have experienced violence. We support them in the areas of legal representation, counselling and interpretation. This frontline experience gives us a unique lens on how section 810 peace bonds and bail conditions operate in practice and where they fall short in ensuring safety. Section 810 responses are intended as a preventive tool for individuals who fear harm. In theory, they should be vital for survivors who fear future violence. In reality, their effectiveness is undermined by systemic gaps. Survivors face lengthy delays and complex processes without guaranteed legal supports. Conditions often fail to address coercive control and technology-facilitated abuse. Breaches are common, yet responses are slow and inconsistent. Peace bonds typically last up to one year, with some exceptions, while danger often persists…

Full testimony ↗

Karine Gagnon

Organizational Support and Development Coordinator, Crime Victims Assistance Centres Network

Opening remarks

Thank you, Madam Chair. We want to thank the members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women for giving us the opportunity to speak to them today. The Crime Victim Assistance Centres Network brings together the 17 CAVACs in the province of Quebec, located in all administrative regions. Their mission is to provide psychosocial and post-traumatic intervention services, as well as support throughout the socio-legal process, to all victims of crime, their loved ones and witnesses, in order to address the impact of crime. In addition, the CAVACs play a central role in the court specialized in sexual violence and domestic violence. All of the provisions or issues addressed in the committee's current study are generally analyzed in terms of the rights and freedoms of the perpetrators of violence. Any legislative amendments will be tested in court in light of these rights and freedoms. But what about the victims' rights and freedoms? Do they not enjoy the same rights and freedoms? Is there not a Canadian Victims Bill of Rights that must be taken into consideration—

Laio Auger

Lieutenant Detective, Domestic Violence Unit, Service de police de la Ville de Montréal

Opening remarks

Thank you, Madam Chair. We are extremely grateful to be invited to testify before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. The mandate of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, or SPVM, is to lead special investigations and focus on prevention in domestic violence cases. Our team was established in 2021 following a recommendation in the report on rebuilding trust, Rebâtir la confiance. Our team exclusively handles all applications under section 810 of the Criminal Code relating to domestic violence and filed with the director of criminal and penal prosecutions or DPCP, and the Montreal municipal court. We are a multidisciplinary team that prepares complete prosecution files, including applications under section 810, and provides long-term follow-up for victims, approximately every six months, and monitors compliance with conditions in certain specific cases. It is important to note here that the requests our team handles exclude any form of negotiation between the Crown and the defence during proceedings, commonly referred to as plea bargaining, which would result in orders under section 810. We are really talking here about applications under section 810 that…

Full testimony ↗

Status of Women

Summary

Witnesses · 5

Bills mentioned