Coercive Control and Elder Abuse
On December 5, 2024, Bill C-332 passed second reading in the Senate and was referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. The proposed law would make coercive control by intimate partners a standalone offence in the Criminal Code, punishable up to 10 years in prison for the most serious cases.
Update: Parliament was dissolved on March 23, 2025 and is scheduled to resume on May 26, 2025.
Dementia Justice Canada is urging lawmakers to extend the category of persons covered by the offence to include abusive adult children and other perpetrators of familial elder abuse.
Documents:
Written submission to Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (January 4, 2025).
Letter to senators (August 18, 2024)
For more information:
A second chance to get it right on coercive control (The St. Croix Courier, May 14, 2025).
The political inconvenience of elder abuse victims (Substack, January 4, 2025).
Coercive control bill should tackle familial elder abuse (Law360 Canada, August 20, 2024).
It's time for Canada to criminalize coercive control by adult children (CNPEA blog, July 30, 2024).
Parliament should make coercive control of elders a standalone crime (Canadian Affairs, July 15, 2024).
On December 5, 2024, Bill C-332 passed second reading in the Senate and was referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. The proposed law would make coercive control by intimate partners a standalone offence in the Criminal Code, punishable up to 10 years in prison for the most serious cases.
Update: Parliament was dissolved on March 23, 2025 and is scheduled to resume on May 26, 2025.
Dementia Justice Canada is urging lawmakers to extend the category of persons covered by the offence to include abusive adult children and other perpetrators of familial elder abuse.
Documents:
Written submission to Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (January 4, 2025).
Letter to senators (August 18, 2024)
For more information:
A second chance to get it right on coercive control (The St. Croix Courier, May 14, 2025).
The political inconvenience of elder abuse victims (Substack, January 4, 2025).
Coercive control bill should tackle familial elder abuse (Law360 Canada, August 20, 2024).
It's time for Canada to criminalize coercive control by adult children (CNPEA blog, July 30, 2024).
Parliament should make coercive control of elders a standalone crime (Canadian Affairs, July 15, 2024).
