MCC report calls on government to declare gender-based violence 'an epidemic'
Authors of the final report into Nova Scotia’s April 2020 mass shooting said gender-based violence is an epidemic in Nova Scotia and across Canada, and it requires a society-wide response.
The authors are recommending “epidemic-level” funding to end this type of violence and for all levels of government to declare “gender-based, intimate partner and family violence to be an epidemic that warrants a meaningful and sustained society-wide response.”
It’s also calling for men to take up individual and concerted action.
The report referenced the work of Mass Casualty Commission’s (MCC) commissioned experts Brian Braganza and Nick Cardone.
They told the MCC while violence is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men, most men do not perpetrate violence. The experts said their aim is not to demonize all men as perpetrators of violence but at the same time, they believe men can take responsibility for ending violence in our communities.
“Women have been carrying, through community-based organizations, the burden of protecting women almost exclusively for far too long,” Michael MacDonald, MCC commissioner, told reporters Thursday.
He noted there is a need for education and services in place but leaders also have a role to play.
“Men who are leaders in society have to call it out for what it is it’s an epidemic,” MacDonald said.
Long before a gunman brutally shot and killed 22 Nova Scotians, the report notes the gunman was abusive and controlling to women around him, including his common-law spouse.
“Those who perpetrate mass casualties often have an unaddressed history of gender-based intimate-partner or family violence,” MacDonald said.
Kristina Fifield, a trauma therapist with Avalon Sexual Assault Centre in Halifax, is pleased with the final report.
“What the report has done in the recommendations is making sure there is core funding to gender-based violence organizations,” Fifield said.
She vows to put pressure on governments to make sure it happens.
“Because it’s vitally important for our communities here in Nova Scotia and across our country,” she said.
Commissioners also criticized the RCMP for its treatment of the gunman’s common-law spouse, Lisa Banfield, and said she was re-victimized by the investigation.
Banfield was charged for supplying the gunman with ammunition, but those charges were eventually dropped after she completed a restorative justice program.
“The way she was treated in the aftermath of this massacre, which began as an assault against her, is disgraceful,” said Jessica Zita, Banfield’s lawyer. “This report is the first step in giving back to Ms. Banfield her voice.”
The RCMP maintains it treated Banfield with a trauma-informed approach.
“I do recognize that Ms. Banfield was the first casualty. We are facing litigation, and so I’m limited in really getting into the full story at this particular time,” said Assistant Commissioner Dennis Daley, Commanding Officer of the Nova Scotia RCMP.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
Manitoba man sentenced to house arrest for keeping fishing tournament funds meant for Children's Hospital Foundation
A Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to keeping the funds raised from an ice-fishing fundraiser for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has been handed a sentence of 18 months house arrest.