OTTAWA—Carol Hughes, MP for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing (AMK) called on Parliament to take action against intimate partner violence (IPV).
“Women need us to stand up for them now more than ever!” stated Carol Hughes, MP for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing as she spoke in the House of Commons last Wednesday to address the urgent issue of IPV.
“Last week, Canadians were collectively heartbroken by the barbaric act of intimate partner violence that took the life of Angie Sweeney and her three young children in Sault Ste. Marie,” said MP Hughes. “As we grieve for Angie and her children, we must redouble our efforts against intimate partner violence.”
MP Hughes called on Members of Parliament to implement the recommendations from last Parliament’s Justice Committee report on stopping coercive and controlling behaviour in intimate partner relationships. She further highlighted that the rates of IPV have been increasing for a number of years.
“Gender-based and IPV in Canada has increased for five consecutive years,” said MP Hughes. “In 2021, the rate of IPV was 336 victims per 100,000 people. Women and girls represent almost 70 percent of victims (of IPV). The gender-related homicide rate in 2021 for Indigenous women and girls was more than triple the rate of gender-related homicides overall.”
“This epidemic cannot continue!” stated MP Hughes.
