Canada Criminal Code: Minister seeks changes to protect domestic abuse victims [Video]

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. –

Newfoundland and Labrador’s justice minister has asked his federal counterpart to make changes to the Criminal Code that he says will help protect victims of domestic and intimate partner violence.

John Hogan’s letter last month to Arif Virani recommends changes to bail and detention rules that could make it harder for those accused of intimate partner violence or domestic violence to be released.

He sent it about a week after a St. John’s, N.L., woman was found dead and Ibrahim Alahmad was charged with her murder.

“I write this letter to express my concern over the ongoing epidemic of intimate partner and domestic violence, which continues to plague Canada with too frequent catastrophic effect,” Hogan told Virani.

But Lynn Moore, a lawyer who works with survivors of abuse, says there are more effective strategies — putting ankle monitors on high-risk offenders, for example — that would keep women safe.

“I …