Status of Women Committee on Feb. 5th, 2026

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

I'm calling this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 23 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

Today's committee meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders.

Welcome, Ms. Sudds, to our committee today.

I'll make a few comments for the benefit of the members and witnesses here today. Please wait until I recognize you before speaking. For interpretation, those in the room can choose, on their devices, English, French or floor, and same is on Zoom at the bottom of the screen. If you wish to speak, raise your hand. All comments should be addressed through me.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Monday, September 15, 2025, the committee is resuming its study of section 810 of the Criminal Code and women's safety.

I'd like to welcome the Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree.

Thank you for being with us, Minister. This is an important topic, as you and I have spoken about before.

We also have, from the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Tricia Geddes, deputy minister; Amy Johnson, director general, firearms policy; and Chad Westmacott, director general, community safety, corrections and criminal justice.

From the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, we have Bryan Larkin, senior deputy commissioner.

Welcome to all the witnesses. We look forward to your comments, and to the questions.

Minister, you'll have five minutes for your comments. You may begin.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Thank you, Madam Chair and honourable colleagues, for the invitation to speak on the study of section 810 of the Criminal Code.

Let me acknowledge that we are gathered here on the traditional, unceded lands of the Anishinabe Algonquin people.

I also note that I am glad to be back here. The last time I was here, it was to discuss the red dress alert, which, as you are aware, is being successfully piloted in Manitoba.

In my early days of practising law, I advocated for and assisted women and children impacted by violence. Gender-based violence, including family and intimate partner violence, has no place in Canada. This is something we can all agree on despite our party differences.

We are advancing several measures to take strong action against gender-based violence.

In 2017, the federal gender-based violence strategy was launched. To date, we have invested over $820 million through this strategy. It prevents gender-based violence, supports victims and survivors, and promotes a responsive justice system. It establishes our specific actions within the framework of the national action plan to end gender-based violence, which we began working on in collaboration with the provinces and territories in 2022, and which is aimed at fully eliminating gender-based violence in Canada.

We have also established the national strategy on countering radicalization to violence.

Through former Bill C-21, we also introduced strong gun control measures, such as the red and yellow flag laws. These ensure that those at risk of violent crimes involving firearms are protected, including in cases of gender-based, intimate partner and family violence, as well as stalking.

Furthermore, enhanced authorities came into force on April 4, 2025, to ensure that anyone suspected of domestic violence or stalking has their firearms licence revoked. Likewise, if an individual has been convicted of an offence where violence was used, threatened or attempted against an intimate partner or family member, they are not eligible for a firearms licence. We are moving forward with the necessary regulations to ensure that if someone is subject to a protection order or peace bond, their firearms licence application is refused or revoked.

We are also supporting provinces and territories that have adopted Clare’s Law legislation.

These laws centre victims' rights, allowing police to inform a person's current or former intimate partner if they have a record of prior intimate partner violence, in turn ensuring that individuals can make informed decisions about their safety. The government is ensuring that there is RCMP participation in such legislation, including through regulatory amendments.

It is important to recognize all forms of gender-based violence, including pipelines that have the potential to radicalize individuals to violent extremism. That is why Public Safety Canada's community resilience fund supports research and frontline initiatives that work to prevent violent extremism. In October 2025, Secretary of State Sahota announced a federal investment of $36.9 million through this fund, which supports organizations working directly in communities across Canada to prevent and counter violent extremism and gender-based violence.

Everyone in Canada has the right to feel safe and to be safe.

Despite all of this, there's always more work to do. That's why our government introduced Bill C-14, which aims to strengthen bail and sentencing laws, thereby reducing the risk of violence and femicides from recidivism.

We have also introduced Bill C-16, which includes consequential amendments that protect victims and survivors of sexual violence, gender-based violence and intimate partner violence. Women and girls in our country are at disproportionate risk of violence. Our government is working hard to address vulnerabilities and gaps in protective measures to ensure their safety.

Madam Chair, my top priority will always be the safety and security of all Canadians. That means standing up for victims and survivors, and preventing violence before it starts. I look forward to a collaborative approach as we discuss these matters.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you, Minister.

We'll start the round with Mrs. Vien.

Mrs. Vien, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Minister, good afternoon to you and your officials. Thank you for your time this afternoon.

You spent many minutes touting your so-called positive track record. Like my colleagues, I completely disagree with what you said. When we look at your government's track record since 2015, we see that violent crime is up by 55%; homicides are up by 30%; sexual assault is up by 76%; extortion is up by 330%; vehicle theft is up by 25%; hate crime is up by 258%; and gun crime is up by 130%. I think you are jumping on the bandwagon a bit late in the game.

I would like to draw your attention to the issue of firearms. You launched your ideological gun confiscation program. Unfortunately, through the program, you're targeting hunters, sport shooters and indigenous people. I would remind you that there are approximately 300,000 hunters in Quebec and 2.3 million in Canada as a whole. I would also remind you that 91% of gun crimes involve illegally owned firearms. Meanwhile, you know very well that hunters, sport shooters and indigenous people are in good standing and have all their licences.

In addition, you are providing $750 million for first-come, first-served buyouts. We know that people are going to lose a lot of money.

You also stated to one of your tenants that you didn't believe in the program and that, if you had to do it over again, you would do things a lot differently. You said that you tried to convince the Prime Minister to go in a different direction and that you failed.

Are you denying or confirming that you said that to one of your tenants?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

Thank you for the question, Mrs. Vien.

Let me address that. This program has been launched already. It launched and is available across Canada. Within the first week, we had over 22,000 individuals who had—

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Minister, I apologize for interrupting. The question is this: Are you denying or confirming that you actually told one of your tenants that the program would be completely useless? Can you confirm that you said that, yes or no?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

Madame Vien, that's absolutely false. I think you're taking what I said out of context. Let me confirm that this program has been launched nationwide. In the first week, we had over 22,000 firearms registered that are deemed to be prohibited. Other individuals have until March 31 to come forward to register their firearms.

Let me also say that the firearms in question—

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Thank you, Minister, but I know the parameters of the program. That wasn't the question.

Your program has been unanimously rejected. Whether it's the provinces, hunters' associations or indigenous peoples, everyone who complies with the regulations is against the confiscation program. Even police forces are opposed to it. Need I remind you that Clayton Campbell was opposed to the program? Isn't what you are doing with the program simple obstinacy?

Hunters are writing to tell us that they have invested a lot of money in their purchases and that the rebate will not even cover the majority of their expenses. What do you say to these people today? Are you going to top up the $750-million fund? There is obviously not enough money in it.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

Madam Chair, I would appreciate the opportunity to answer this question properly.

Let me at the outset say that the premise of your underlying question, Madame Vien, is false. This is not about hunting rifles or firearms related to hunting. This is about taking serious firearms off our streets. There are 2,500 firearms that are listed as prohibited, but there are over 19,000 available firearms that can be used for hunting. There's ample choice; hunters can pick any one of those firearms and use it for hunting purposes.

When the program launched, in the first week, we had over 22,000 applications. This program will run until March 31. I would say that we do have a plan, including from Quebec, where the province has signed on to do the collection, and we will be implementing it across Canada.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

I repeat that the majority of provinces don't want your program. Everybody says it's not going to be helpful and it's not going to make women safer.

How will the program make women safe when everyone, including the police, is saying the opposite?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

Do I have a chance to respond?

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

You have 25 seconds.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

I will refer you, Madame Vien, to the Mass Casualty Commission report. I will refer you to PolySeSouvient. I will refer you to a number of civil society organizations, particularly women's organizations, that have been working on the front lines, including the National Association of Women and the Law, and have been asking for many decades.... In fact, PolySeSouvient, for example, has been working since 1989 toward ensuring that prohibited weapons are off our streets, and that is what we're implementing today, Madame Vien.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you so much.

Before we go to Ms. Nathan, I would just remind committee members that the tradition is that however long the question is, we give about the same time for the answer. If you want a short answer, ask a short question, and if you want a long answer, ask a long question.

We'll go to Ms. Nathan for six minutes.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to the committee members and to the minister for being here today. I know the minister is busy with many committees, and I thank him for finding time to be here today.

My first question is this: What is the prevalence of firearms in incidents of intimate partner violence?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

It is actually quite startling across Canada. Every year, we have a number of high-profile incidents involving intimate partner violence. I know that in my community several years ago there was an incident right behind my office, and we see virtually every community across Canada being impacted by it. The chief of police for Halifax has been quoted as calling this an “epidemic” in his region.

It is an area where I think we need collaboration. We need non-partisanship when we speak about issues around intimate partner violence. The study you're doing is critically important, and the legislation that's before the House, again, is critically important. As we move to strengthen a number of areas of the law, including victims' rights, with Bill C-16, I'm hoping that as a country, as a government and as parties of different stripes we're able to find consensus on what those laws are and move forward.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Thank you.

To follow up, you spoke briefly about the red and yellow flag laws introduced in the former Bill C-21. Regarding emergency situations and situations of immediate danger of violence, how can those be used to help address IPV or DV?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

Look, there are a number of mechanisms that are in Bill C-21, and they have been operationalized by way of Governor in Council orders that came into effect as late as last April. We have Bill C-16, which, again, speaks to strengthening those measures.

Those are long overdue. They speak to the ability of law enforcement, courts and others who are working and supporting victims to seek remedies by way of a yellow flag, which is a short-term, temporary measure, and red flag laws, which are for a much longer term and require a different standard of understanding of what happened.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Thank you.

To what extent does policing delivered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in first nations and Inuit communities through the first nations and Inuit policing program support the prevention of and response to domestic and intimate partner violence?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

I'll ask Deputy Commissioner Larkin to comment, but I will say that we do need greater collaboration on this piece. I know that those in law enforcement at every level are grappling with this issue. For many, it is their number one issue. We do need to have better collaboration. I know that, particularly within first nations communities, the shortage of resources does lead to inadequate supports.

Deputy Commissioner.

[Bryan Larkin, Senior Deputy Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police]

Thank you, Minister.

The RCMP police about 20% of the population but just over 80% of the land mass. Much of that is in rural Canada, which does present some significant geographical challenges.

One of our goals is to strengthen our approach to intimate partner violence, particularly in our northern territories. The reality is that this also includes a whole-of-community approach. We're very supportive of alternative resolutions and reconciliation measures, because those communities are unique. The democracy of our judicial system sometimes is not necessarily the best approach or the most applied approach in those territories. That requires on-the-ground work with our territorial representatives and our community representatives. It must be a victim-centric as well as a community-centric approach. That's where our training at Depot in Regina has shifted in terms of our cultural sensitivity and our preparation for when members deploy out of Regina and respond to remote, isolated communities. Our approach is much more focused.

As the minister alluded to, we're currently working on a significant internal indigenous-Inuit strategy to make progressive change, not only for now but for the years to come.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Larkin, for that answer.

I have a follow-up to that. You partially answered it with regard to police approaches being more culturally appropriate and effective in meeting the needs of victims of domestic and intimate partner violence. Can you talk a little bit about some of the training programs or the education pieces that go with that?

[Bryan Larkin]

Very quickly, that is really the focus of the work we're doing in our northern territories, as well as some key northern communities. Our indigenous policing program very much works with the community and works with indigenous-Inuit associations around various approaches.

The example I'll use is Nunavut. All 25 communities are fly-in communities. A traditional approach of arresting an individual often or sometimes requires them to leave the community. How do we approach community-based intervention? How do we approach community-based crime prevention and upstream prevention? Those are the things we're very much focused on in those particular areas.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you.

[Bryan Larkin]

Of course, in more rural or urban areas where there's a land mass, we're traditional.