Terry Sheehan: Liberals to take action on domestic violence, sexual assault

NEWS RELEASE

TERRY SHEEHAN, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR SAULT STE. MARIE AND AREA

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SAULT STE. MARIE - The Liberal Party of Canada announced that a Liberal government will give greater support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment, and ensure that more perpetrators are brought to justice.

“Every day, sexual violence, is experienced by far too many Canadians – overwhelmingly women.  It is incredibly important that supports be strengthened, and that we  work to eliminate the attitudes that  are at the root of this damaging behaviour, and that is what we are committed to doing.” said Liberal candidate for Sault Ste. Marie and Area, Terry Sheehan. “A Liberal government, lead by Justin Trudeau, is committed to bringing forward new measures to protect some of our most vulnerable – especially women and children – and we pledge to support the organizations that work so hard to protect victims and work with them to improve their lives.”

A Liberal government will:

• Increase investments to grow and maintain Canada’s network of shelters and transition houses, as part of our historic ten-year investment of nearly $20 billion in social infrastructure;

• Work together with victims, experts, and advocates to develop and implement a comprehensive federal gender-violence strategy and action plan, aligned with existing provincial strategies;

• Review current gender- and culturally-sensitive training policies for federal front-line law enforcement officers to ensure that they are strong and effective;

• In partnership with provinces and territories, work to bolster public awareness campaigns, and take action to ensure that Parliament and federal institutions – including the public service, the RCMP, and the Canadian Armed Forces – are workplaces free from harassment and sexual violence;

• Eliminate the two-year waiting period for spouses immigrating to Canada, so they can receive immediate permanent residency; and

• Amend the Criminal Code to reverse onus on bail for those with previous convictions of intimate partner violence, specify that intimate partner violence be considered an aggravating factor at sentencing, and increase the maximum sentence for repeat offenders. 

“I am proud to know that we will immediately have an inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, should we form government,” says Sheehan. “We are committed to taking real, concrete action to help victims affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. We will do more to prevent domestic and gender-based violence, and make sure to hold abusers to account, and make sure survivors receive the justice they deserve.”

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