National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. Welcomes Criminalization of Femicide, Coercive Control

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Winnipeg, June 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. (NFSC Inc.) welcomes the government’s significant reforms to Canada’s Criminal Code, including the recognition of femicide as first-degree murder and the criminalization of coercive control in intimate relationships, as well as Canada’s ratification of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence Against Women (Belém do Pará Convention).

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These reforms mark an important acknowledgement of the gravity of gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, and the lives lost to it. For Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, who continue to experience violence at rates that constitute an ongoing genocide, naming femicide in law affirms a truth that families and survivors have long carried and underscores the decades of Indigenous- and women-led advocacy which catalyzed these changes. Canada’s ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention, more than three decades after its adoption by member states of the Organization of American States (OAS), highlights both the urgency of addressing gender-based violence and the need for sustained action to prevent it.

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“Recognizing femicide in the Criminal Code is a meaningful step, but legislation alone will not end this genocide,” said Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, President of NFSC Inc. “The true measure of these reforms will be whether Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people are safer because of them. That requires consistent implementation, accountability, and sustained commitment across the justice system and all levels of government.”

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The disproportionate violence faced by Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people is rooted in systemic inequities, colonialism, and ongoing failures to address the root causes of this crisis. Legal reforms must be accompanied by sustained investments in prevention, coordinated action across all levels of government, and the full implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice, which are legal imperatives.

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These reforms should be viewed as one component of a broader responsibility to advance systemic change and accountability. NFSC Inc. stresses that these reforms must translate into measurable outcomes for families, survivors, Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQIA+ people at the heart of this crisis. This includes ensuring justice systems are equipped to apply these changes consistently, that Indigenous-led solutions are resourced, and that the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people remains an absolute national priority.

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While these reforms represent meaningful progress, they must mark the beginning—not the conclusion—of Canada’s response to this crisis.