Bill C-225 Becomes Law, Expanding First-Degree Murder Charges in Intimate Partner Violence
Parliament passed legislation allowing prosecutors to charge first-degree murder in intimate partner homicides without proving premeditation, if killing follows a pattern of coercive control.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parliament has passed Bill C-225, amending the Criminal Code to expand first-degree murder charges in cases of intimate partner violence. The law received royal assent Wednesday, June 17.
Under the new legislation, prosecutors can charge first-degree murder for the killing of an intimate partner when the homicide occurs as part of a pattern of coercive or controlling conduct—even without proving premeditation.
The law also creates a specific offence for intimate partner violence attacks, enabling the justice system to track such incidents more consistently across Canada.
The bill was introduced by Conservative MP Frank Caputo as a private member's bill, a rare achievement in Parliament. It is named Bailey's Law after Bailey McCourt, a 32-year-old British Columbia woman killed last year by a former partner who was released on bail hours before a daytime attack in a Kelowna parking lot.