Conservative MP’s bill on intimate partner violence becomes law

OTTAWA — Canada will take a harder stance on intimate partner violence after a Conservative MP’s private member’s bill became law Wednesday.

The Criminal Code will soon be updated to allow the killer of an intimate partner to be charged with first-degree murder regardless of whether the act was premeditated.

Bill C-225, which received royal assent in Parliament on Wednesday, will make first-degree murder applicable to killings that happen as part of a pattern of coercive or controlling conduct.

Frank Caputo, Conservative MP for Kamloops-Thomson-Nicola, put forward the private member’s bill.

The legislation is named Bailey’s Law after Bailey McCourt, a 32-year-old B.C. woman and mother of two who was killed last year. Her alleged killer was a former partner who was released on bail hours before the daylight attack at a Kelowna parking lot.

Debbie Henderson, McCourt’s aunt, called it a “bittersweet day” at a press conference alongside Caputo on Parliament Hill Wednesday.

“She will never be forgotten,” Henderson said through tears.

“And her daughters will know that she has left behind a legacy — a legacy that will make a difference.”

The act will also help track incidents of intimate partner violence in Canada’s justice system by creating a specific offence for such attacks.

The Criminal Code will be updated with the new offence in 30 days. Caputo called the legislation the “most consequential change” to the justice system in modern legal history when it comes to intimate partner violence.

“No longer will you have assault being the charge when somebody abuses their intimate partner. It will be violence against an intimate partner,” Caputo said.

Private member’s bills rarely become law. Caputo attributed the success of Bailey’s Law to the tenacity of her family and his office in meetings with MPs and senators.

“To get a bill passed within one year of Bailey’s tragic murder … it’s something I’ll never forget.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 17, 2026.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press