On December 9, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announced the introduction of Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act that proposes reforms to the Criminal Code to “protect victims and survivors of sexual violence, gender-based violence, and intimate partner violence, and to keep our kids safe from predators.” 

The Act includes recommendations to consider femicide as a first-degree crime, criminalize coercive control, increase penalties for sexual assault and ensure better protections for sexual deepfakes. It also outlines clear guidelines on stays of proceedings and new measures to improve survivors’ access to information and testimonial aids.  

EVA BC’s executive director, Ninu Kang, said, “We are encouraged by what is proposed in this new legislation to recognize the severity of these crimes that impact survivors of gender-based violence, and the suggested improvements to the processes to better support those who experience them.” 

BC’s Attorney General (AG), Nikki Sharma, responded to the announcement, saying that the legislation includes “key priorities British Columbia has been strongly advocating for to keep people safe from intimate-partner and gender-based violence, better protect children and address delays in the criminal justice system.” 

The Ministry of Attorney General’s office also shared the Stanton Report Fall Update 2025, outlining the work being done in response to the recommendations made in Dr. Kim Stanton’s independent systemic review of BC’s legal system’s treatment of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV), published in June. The update identifies the government’s three key priority actions: a new policy framework, timely risk assessments, and creation of an internal government mechanism to address IPV and SV. 

These announcements and reports this month follow the November release of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime’s Rethinking Justice for Survivors of Sexual Violence: A Systemic Investigation that identified systemic issues across the criminal justice system that impact survivors of sexual violence and made 10 “big recommendations” to improve the system to better support survivors. 

Kang said, “All the recommendations echo EVA BC’s advocacy. We continue to work closely with government partners to ensure we don’t take our eyes off the need for changes to support survivors.”