Standing Committee on the Status of Women

Comité permanent de la condition féminine

For immediate release

Ottawa, February 04, 2022 -

The House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women (the committee) invites the public to submit written briefs for the committee’s study on intimate partner and domestic violence in Canada.

During its study, the committee will:

• study the causes of intimate partner violence including toxic masculinity, specifically in teen relationships;
• examine ways to improve supports and protection for women and girls who are living in unsafe environments;
• identify ways to eliminate barriers facing women and girls seeking to leave unsafe environments, such as the financial, social and other factors preventing them from leaving;
• explore strategies to prevent intimate partner violence and to educate survivors and perpetrators of violence; and
• consider various international legislative experiences regarding the criminalization of coercive and manipulative behaviours between intimate partners as well as consider the use of other public policy tools to eliminate these behaviours.

The committee requests that written briefs focus on these topics and include specific recommendations to the Government of Canada on how to address intimate partner and domestic violence in Canada.

The committee is committed to protecting the safety of individuals. If an individual would like to submit a written brief anonymously or does not want a brief to be made public, please inform the committee Clerk at FEWO@parl.gc.ca and the necessary arrangements will be made. Written briefs will be publicly available unless otherwise requested.

The deadline for the committee to receive written briefs from the public, in either official language, is Thursday, March 31st, 2022. Briefs should not exceed two pages in length (approximately 1,000 words). Briefs should be sent electronically to the committee Clerk at FEWO@parl.gc.ca or submitted online through the committee’s website. Please see the Guide for Submitting Briefs to House of Commons Committees for further information.

The committee looks forward to hearing from Canadians on this important topic. The committee will release a final report with recommendations that will propose steps that the Government of Canada could take to help eliminate intimate partner and domestic violence in Canada.

The committee welcomes all Canadians to follow its work on its website, where additional information is provided on the committee’s meetings and testimony, live proceedings and membership.