Hi everyone, 

On July 19th, my cousin Madisson Cobb was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Devon Bradley Malik in an underground parking lot in the neighbourhood of Haysboro, in Calgary, Alberta. After stalking and harassment charges, she had issued & served him a restraining order, and he still failed to comply with it - the system designed to protect, failed her. 

With the ongoing situation in Canada under the past and current federal government, Bill C-332 had been passed in the House of Commons (3rd Reading completed on June 12, 2024), had 2 readings completed in the Senate and has sat idle since. The latest activity shows "Referral to committee on Thursday, December 5, 2024 (Senate)" but shows 'no activity' in consideration by the committee & no corresponding report either.

[https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/44-1/C-332] 

Bill C-332, an act to amend the Criminal Code, recognizes the dynamic between intimate partner violence and how intimate partner violence is different from other forms of harassment or assault. When it comes to a trusting relationship between partners, we know it is a very different relationship when a person is a subordinate to someone in charge or when a person has any vulnerability. Although the Criminal Code does recognize sexual assault and violence, it does not dig deep enough when it comes to coercive control.

Additionally, provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland & Labrador have implemented versions of "Clare's Law," allowing individuals to inquire about a partner's history of domestic violence

Clare’s Law:

The Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence (Clare’s Law) Act gives people who feel at risk of domestic violence a way to get information about their partners so they can make informed choices about their safety and relationships.

Alberta’s version of Clare’s Law is named after Clare Wood, a United Kingdom woman killed by an ex-partner who had a reported history of violence against women that she was unaware of.

People who may be at risk can find out if their current or former partner has a history of:

• domestic violence
• stalking or harassment
• breaches of 'no contact orders'
• sexual violence
• other related acts (such as physical violence towards people outside of their intimate partner relationships)

However, something horrible usually needs to happen like a death, or serious harm in order to get the person in custody - this isn't fair - this is Clare's Law in a nutshell, and this needs to be changed. 

If laws stay the same, more and more innocent people are going to die, and are going to suffer more and more at the hands of their partners. If we fight for a change, and fight for Bill C-332  in honour of my cousin, Maddie, we will be able to help save and better protect people including young women and their children.

"This enactment amends the Criminal Code to create an offence of exercising coercive control of an intimate partner by engaging in a pattern of conduct that consists of any combination, or any repeated instances, of any of the following acts: using, attempting to use or threatening to use violence against certain persons, coercing or attempting to coerce the intimate partner to engage in sexual activity or engaging in other conduct that could reasonably be expected to cause the intimate partner to believe that their safety, or the safety of a person known to them, is threatened."

1-in-6 women die as victims of domestic violence, from not being able to say anything to anyone, to the system failing to protect innocent lives of loved ones. This is a growing epidemic here in Canada. With Bill C-332 in place, there can be alternative actions taken to provide the measures needed to protect lives & hold those guilty accountable before tragedy strikes. WE NEED BETTER LAWS TOWARDS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

CLARES LAW NEEDS TO BE CHANGED - WE NEED BILL C-332!

Thank you all,

Taylor Matusik & Family