Nova Scotia makes history as first province to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic
Nova Scotia’s legislature has unanimously passed an NDP bill declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic in that province.
As reported by CBC News, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told reporters his Progressive Conservative government would not support the bill only one hour before the vote.
However, a last-minute hallway conversation with survivors from the private sector union UNIFOR changed his mind.
The small maritime province was rocked by a shooting rampage in early 2020 that saw a 51-year-old man with a history of intimate partner violence kill 22 people and injure three others before being fatally shot by the RCMP.
Declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic aligns with the findings of the province’s Mass Casualty Commission, which investigated the shootings.
An NDP press release cited Nova Scotia as having the highest rates of domestic violence among all Canadian provinces, while The Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, an umbrella association representing violence-against-women organizations across the province, said more than 30 per cent of Nova Scotia women have experienced intimate partner violence.
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