Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux and Suzanne Anton, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, have issued the following statement regarding B.C.’s response to the issue of domestic violence:

“Seven years ago, a terrible tragedy in Oak Bay shattered the silence that too often surrounds the issue of domestic violence. While the nature and severity of that crime was particularly shocking, it was also a chilling reminder that domestic and family violence occur every day in homes throughout our province.

“Domestic violence is a despicable act - and because it happens in the home, perpetrators hope to be able to keep it secret. As a society, we need to stand up to these perpetrators and be there for the victims - to help them escape violent situations and find a life free from abuse.

“Following the deaths of Christian Lee, Sunny Park and their family, government responded with the creation of the Capital Region domestic violence unit, bringing together police, victim services and an MCFD-dedicated social worker. We established a protocol to ensure more effective communication between police, government and community agencies in highest-risk domestic violence cases. New training for child welfare workers and other professionals improved consistency and awareness, while the development of an integrated information-sharing system allowed the Ministry of Children and Family Development to better track the nature of cases, including those that involve domestic violence scenarios.

“Since that time, we have worked across government and with community partners to build a stronger, more co-ordinated approach to addressing domestic violence in B.C. We have taken significant action, including creating the Provincial Office of Domestic Violence and introducing new policies, courses and training to help police, school personnel, community partners, social workers and support workers recognize and respond to domestic violence. We have also made a number of legislative changes that put the interests of children first when police and child welfare workers respond to cases of domestic violence, and created protection orders, which limit contact between family members when there is a risk of family violence.

“This year, we launched our three-year, $5.5-million Provincial Domestic Violence Plan, which is the result of extensive public anti-violence stakeholder consultations. The plan aims to enhance services and bridge potential service gaps to ensure that women, children and all those who have been affected by domestic violence have access to the supports and services they need.

“As part of the plan, the Ministry of Justice developed a framework for domestic violence courts to provide guidance on best practices in establishing specialized domestic violence court processes in B.C.  There are now distinct domestic violence court processes in Nanaimo, Duncan, Kelowna, Penticton and Kamloops.

“The plan supplements our more than $70-million annual investment in prevention and intervention services, and the $3.4 million in civil forfeiture grants we provided this year to support initiatives that prevent violence against women.

“We know more can and must be done. That’s why we’ve committed to introducing a long-term, comprehensive strategy to move towards a violence-free British Columbia. This strategy will be our path to creating a province where all women have the supports they need to help prevent violence, escape from violent situations, and recover if they’ve been victims of crime.”

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Children and Family Development
250 356-1639

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 213-3602