Background
In an interview in June 2025 Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser said he was open to including femicide in the Criminal Code. Fraser said the government would look at the “precise language” of the reforms it plans to make to the Criminal Code. When asked specifically whether he was open to including “femicide” in the Criminal Code, Fraser said, “I’m open to it, certainly.”
“I’m not going to close the door on any of the solutions that may be presented to me over the next couple of months as we seek to finalize the draft. But we’ve not made a decision one way or another as to the language that will be included in either the name of the offence, or the specific language included in the new provisions we’ll be looking to add.”
While we are not celebrating yet, we want to recognize that this promising news is the result of years of powerful advocacy from feminist academics, organizations, activists and survivors, who have relentlessly pushed for the recognition of femicide in Canada and the inclusion of it in the Criminal Code.
The Joint Letter
To harness the momentum of this moment and ensure femicide is kept at the forefront of federal conversations, the Toronto IPV/GBV Working Group, of which Aura Freedom is a member, collaborated on a Joint Letter to Minister Fraser to encourage him to explore femicide further, highlight existing recommendations and research, and offer our support. We also requested a meeting to discuss the issue further.
What is Femicide?
Femicide is the killing of a woman or girl because of their sex or gender, mostly by men, who are driven by misogyny and a need to maintain power and control over their victims. It is deeply connected to gender inequality, patriarchy, colonialism, and entrenched beliefs about the subordinate role of women in society. Femicide has been excused and normalized for centuries.
Femicide is the most extreme manifestation of male violence against women. It is the ultimate control of women and girls to dictate their lives and, ultimately, their deaths.
Every 48 hours in Canada, a woman or girl is killed violently, most often by a man she knows. Femicides have been steadily increasing since 2019 in Canada. Despite this, there has been a collective hesitancy to analyze and address this national emergency.
Why does it matter?
Femicide certainly cannot be solved overnight, but we must start by acknowledging that the problem exists.
Officially recognizing femicide in Canada is the first step to addressing it. Once we acknowledge how femicide differs from homicide, examine the motivations behind these murders (power, control, misogyny, etc.), and identify the social contexts that normalize and excuse femicide, then we can begin to prevent it in meaningful and intentional ways.
The question Aura Freedom has often posed is: When will women matter enough?