Mr. Speaker, the first petition I am presenting today is on extreme intoxication as a legal defence. Amendments were made to the Criminal Code on June 23, 2022, allowing for “extreme intoxication as a defence for violent [crimes] like assault and sexual assault, even where a reasonable person would not have foreseen the risk of a violent loss of control.”
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls found rates of violence against indigenous women and girls to be alarmingly higher than for any other demographic in Canada. First nations communities are often in rural areas that are underserved by law enforcement, creating longer response times and a greater potential for violent acts of crime. Alcoholism and substance abuse are rapidly growing issues, leaving first nations more vulnerable to acts of violence. According to the First Nations Health Authority, first nations make up only 3.3% of British Columbia's population but a staggering 15% of toxic drug deaths.
Therefore, the undersigned indigenous citizens of Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon call upon the federal government to remove their amendments to the Criminal Code related to extreme intoxication and uphold their commitment to protecting first nations women.