The MPP for Windsor West says it was an emotional day in Queen's Park as Bill 173, the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act 2024, was introduced and supported.
Lisa Gretzky presented the bill today, and the government has agreed to support the NDP motion to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in Ontario.
Gretzky, alongside her caucus colleagues MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, MPP Jill Andrew and MPP Peggy Sattler, received a standing ovation.
Government House Leader Paul Calandra says his party will ask the justice committee to thoroughly examine intimate partner violence and return with recommendations, but Gretzky says she doesn't understand what else needs to be discussed or looked over.
In June 2022, an inquest was held for the 2015 deaths of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam of Renfrew County, who were murdered by their former partner. Out of this inquest, the jury made 86 recommendations for change. The first jury recommendation was for the Government of Ontario to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.
Gretzky says she was joined in Queen's Park by Fartumo Kusow whose daughter, Sahra Bulle, was killed in an alleged act of intimate partner violence.
"And Kate Alexander who is a survivor of domestic violence and her perpetrator has been let free because the court system is grossly under funded, and under resourced. I looked up and I saw the two of them hugging each other, and crying, and it's hard not to feel the same way when you hear the government saying that they're going to support the bill."
She says it's confusing that the government is saying they support it, but at the same time think it needs to go to a committee for review.
"The jury's recommendations from that inquest came out nearly two years ago, it'll be two years ago in June, and they've laid the foundation, they've given the government the path through many recommendations. There is no need to do another study, there is no need to further victimize survivors, the government could simply do what the bill asked, and the bill only asked at this point that the government declare intimate partner violence an epidemic."
She says this bill is the first step to acknowledging the problem, so that long term service providers are receiving appropriate funding.
"In Windsor, Hiatus House is in desperate need of building transitional housing and basically the government is telling them to fundraise for it. So this is the first step to acknowledging that it is a problem, and then moving forward to ensure that all those supports and services are in place so that if someone is experiencing intimate partner violence that we're able to get them into a safe place."
Gretzky says she's hoping the provincial goverment will by-pass the committee step and declare IPV an epidemic in Ontario.
Nearly 100 municipalities in the province have declared IPV an epidemic since last summer.
Windsor Police released data at the end March 2024 which showed that 45 per cent of all assaults locally so far this year are related to cases of IPV.