SoVote

Randall Garrison

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
NDP

Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke
British Columbia
Voting Attendance: 67%
Expenses Last Quarter: $148,586.11

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 117 - Oct/25/22

Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, NDP)

Oct/25/22 10:04:58 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table petition e-4062. The petitioners recognize the ongoing crisis we have with intimate partner violence, as we now have the fifth year of consecutive increases. In doing so, they call on the government to introduce legislation to make coercive and controlling behaviour a criminal offence in this country and to enact a suite of measures, in concert with the provinces, to provide better supports to those who are survivors of intimate partner violence.

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Context: House Hansard - 112 - Oct/18/22

Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, NDP)

Oct/18/22 2:14:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with the pandemic came a spike in calls to frontline agencies for help with domestic violence. Like the pandemic, that increase has not faded away. In the previous Parliament and again this June, the justice committee unanimously recommended that the government bring forward legislation to make coercive and controlling behaviour in intimate partner relationships a criminal offence as one additional tool to help fight intimate partner violence. Unfortunately, when the government tabled its recent response, there was no sense of urgency. In Canada, we continue to see a woman killed by an intimate partner, on average, every six days, and coercive and controlling behaviour is almost always a precursor to this physical violence. In the face of government inaction, New Democrats will be seeking other ways to make sure victims and survivors get access to the help they need, with both improved access to support and making coercive and controlling behaviour a criminal offence in my private member's bill, Bill C-202. I ask all members of the House to continue to support concrete action to address the ongoing scourge of intimate partner violence in Canada.

189 words

Context: House Hansard - 94 - Jun/22/22

Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, NDP)

Jun/22/22 9:16:47 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-28

Madam Speaker, I know the member shares the same concern we have as New Democrats: This is only one part of attacking violence against women. Does she share with me the concern that the justice committee has twice recommended to the House that the government act to make coercive and controlling behaviour an offence in the Criminal Code? We know that coercive and controlling behaviour contributes directly to violence. Does she share my concern about the sloth with which the government is approaching that recommendation?

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All Topics

Context: House Hansard - 63 - May/3/22

Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, NDP)

May/3/22 2:15:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today with renewed hope to address the crisis of coercive and controlling behaviour in Canada. I began this work at the start of pandemic when I started to hear from police and frontline service providers who were seeing a spike in domestic violence. I still hear every week from those suffering from coercive and controlling behaviour. They are living in fear of the physical violence that nearly always follows it. A tragic fact in this country is that one woman dies at the hands of her partner every six days. Many fear not only for themselves, but also for the safety and well-being of their children and other family members. The justice committee has tabled its report “The Shadow Pandemic: Stopping Coercive and Controlling Behaviour in Intimate Relationships” for a second time. I eagerly await the response from the government to this unanimous report. Taking action to make coercive and controlling behaviour a criminal offence will send a clear message that this behaviour is, in itself, violence. Taking this action will give hope to survivors, allow earlier intervention and help create a path to safety for survivors.

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Context: House Hansard - 4 - Nov/25/21

Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, NDP)

Nov/25/21 10:07:02 a.m.
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Re: Bill C-202

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-202, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (controlling or coercive conduct). He said: Mr. Speaker, today I rise to reintroduce my bill to make coercive and controlling behaviour in intimate partner relationships a criminal offence. This new offence would allow victims of coercive and controlling violence to get desperately needed help and would allow earlier interventions in problematic relationships rather than having to wait for physical violence to occur. During this pandemic, we have heard reports from police and front-line service providers that domestic violence calls for assistance spiked by more than 30%, an alarming intensification of what was already a serious problem in the country. In the last Parliament, the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights studied this issue, and all-party support resulted in a unanimous report, calling on the House to take action within a year, either on my bill or a similar government bill. I thank the member for Port Moody—Coquitlam for seconding the reintroduction of my bill today. Addressing the issue of coercive and controlling violence is not a matter of partisanship. It is a necessary step toward addressing the shadow pandemic of domestic violence that has hit women and families so hard during this pandemic. I urge all members to support quick action on this challenging problem that will literally save lives.

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Member of Parliament

Randall Garrison