Aura Freedom contributed to the federal study undertaken by the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicides in Canada.

In our brief, we continue to advocate for the recognition of femicide in Canada’s Criminal Code, and of the femicide epidemic in Canada, which were similar calls made in our For Her campaign. When we take a true gendered lens to preventing and addressing femicide, we will also see reductions to other forms of gender-based violence and harmful community impacts – as we know the pervasive impact of femicide on individuals, families, communities, and Canada as a whole. 

Recognizing femicide would mean Canada can send a clear message that male violence against women and girls will not be tolerated, prompting comprehensive investment to its eradication. Further, doing so legitimizes femicide and its intersecting forms, such as MMIWG2S, as urgent social issues. However, recognition alone is insufficient and cannot be done in isolation – it must be part of a broader, long-term strategy extending beyond the legislature to address other public systems, the greater society, and importantly, the root causes that perpetuate and normalize gender-based violence and femicide (i.e. misogyny, patriarchy, gender roles and perceptions, and more).

Calls to Action:
1) Formally recognize femicide as a distinct form of violence that differs from homicide, in legislation and/or in the Criminal Code.
2) Expedite implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, and ensure this work is community-led and
robustly funded.
3) Expedite the process of implementing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National
Action Plan, and the 231 Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into MMIWG, and ensure this work is Indigenous-led and robustly
funded.
4) Declare femicide an urgent emergency in Canada and prioritize it accordingly.

Read our full submission to FEWO below.