New Brunswick judge calling on lawmakers to strengthen punishment for femicide

Ferguson said the “unacceptable frequency with which women meet their demise at the hands of men that they loved and live with, or love and have relationships with,” is one of the most important issues that’s not been dealt with in Canadian law.

Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser told the National Post in June he’s “open” to adding femicide to the Criminal Code. There are various definitions of femicide, but it broadly refers to the killing of a woman because of their gender or sex.

Ferguson, who said he’s not sure exactly what the federal government may propose, said it wouldn’t be sufficient to add another provision requiring judges to account for the relationship between a perpetrator and victim during sentencing.

“It seems to me that if Parliament is doing its job for women in this country, 53 per cent of our population, it would find some way to create a clause for the Criminal Code that would have a presumptive bottom, well beyond 10 years, before which the accused can apply for parole in a case in which they’re sentenced to life imprisonment,” Ferguson said.

“And that that presumptive bottom would be somewhere around 15 years and that would be subject to rebuttal by evidence that would be compelling that would say that shouldn’t be the bottom.”

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