Tories call on all parties to back tougher sentences for intimate partner violence

By Canadian Press on October 28, 2025.

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on other parties to support legislation he says would combat intimate partner violence.

Poilievre’s call came after Statistics Canada released a report that says the number of reports of intimate partner violence increased by 14 per cent between 2018 and 2024.

The report also notes women and girls remain overrepresented in those statistics; the number of women suffering intimate partner violence in 2024 was 3.5 times higher than the number of men.

Poilievre blames the rise in cases on what he calls the federal Liberals’ lax approach to criminal justice and is calling for stricter penalties.

Bill C-225, introduced by Conservative MP Frank Caputo, would automatically make the killing of an intimate partner an act of first degree murder, and prohibit the release of an individual arrested for intimate partner violence if they’re a repeat offender.

Caputo says his legislation was developed with input from victims of intimate partner violence who want to see changes to the criminal justice system.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press