Reform intimate-partner and sexual-assault processes

AI summary

Petitioners ask government to reform intimate-partner and sexual-assault processes by mandating disclosure and reassignment for conflicts, preventing criminalization of victims, barring non-conviction resolutions without judicial review, allowing victim statements regardless of outcome, with civilian oversight.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada The current application of mandatory charging policies fails to prevent inappropriate counter charges from being laid against victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence; Under current law, victims are only permitted to submit victim impact statements at sentencing when the accused has pled guilty or been found guilty; Existing conflict of interest mechanisms fail to mandate immediate disclosure or reassignment, leaving victims vulnerable to systemic bias and compromised investigations; and Currently sexual assault charges can be improperly resolved through peace bonds or non-conviction resolutions. We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to reform the judicial and investigative systems handling intimate partner violence and sexual assault to address investigative failures, eliminate practices that retraumatize victims, strengthen accountability, and ensure decisions are based on evidence, fairness, and survivor safety by: 1. Implementing strict conflict of interest rules requiring investigating officers to disclose any personal or professional relationship with either the accused or the victim, with mandatory reassignment where a conflict;exists. 2. Reforming mandatory charging policies to prevent survivors from being criminalized when the accused attempts to counter charge the victim; 3. Ensuring sexual assault charges cannot be resolved through peace bonds, diversion agreements, or other non-conviction resolutions without judicial oversight and clear public-interest justification; 4. Removing barriers to victim impact statements by allowing survivors to provide statements regardless of the final judicial outcome; and 5. Creating independent civilian oversight bodies to review investigative failures, wrongful counter charges, mishandled cases, and systemic bias within police and prosecutorial systems.

Government response

No government response is available yet.