An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to another Act (interim release and domestic violence recognizance orders)
Bill S-205 (44-1) was a Senate Private Member's Bill from Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu (Conservative) to strengthen Criminal Code protections for victims of intimate-partner violence. It required a judge weighing bail in an intimate-partner-violence case to confirm that the victim had been consulted about their safety, allowed the court to order the accused to wear an electronic monitoring device at the Crown's request, and widened the reverse-onus rule so it also covers people previously discharged for an intimate-partner-violence offence. It also created a new recognizance, a court order similar to a peace bond, that a person who reasonably fears domestic violence can seek. Senator Boisvenu, a long-time victims-rights advocate whose own daughter was murdered, championed the bill before his retirement in 2024. After passing both chambers it received royal assent on October 10, 2024 (S.C. 2024, c. 22).
Status
Quick learn
Tightens bail in intimate-partner-violence cases: courts must confirm the victim was consulted about their safety and can order the accused to wear an electronic monitor. It also lets someone who fears domestic violence seek a protective court order. A Senate bill from Senator Boisvenu; royal assent October 2024.
Issues this bill touches
- Crime & Public Safety
Criminal Code amendments on interim release (bail).
Legislative history
- First reading
First reading in the Senate.
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Second reading in the Senate.
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Third reading in the Senate.
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First reading in the House of Commons.
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Second reading in the House of Commons.
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Third reading in the House of Commons.
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Royal assent received.
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