The federal government introduced new legislation this week aimed at strengthening criminal laws around gender-based violence, artificial-intelligence-generated sexual imagery, and delays in the justice system.Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the bill is designed to intervene earlier in cases of intimate partner violence and modernize the Criminal Code to reflect technological risks, including the rise of deepfake pornography.One of the key measures creates a standalone criminal offence for coercive control in intimate relationships, behaviour Fraser described as manipulative and often a precursor to physical violence or femicide. The legislation would also add a new constructive first-degree murder charge where certain aggravating factors are present, including hate motivation, sexual offences or patterns of controlling behaviour..“We are enabling intervention before harm becomes irreversible,” Fraser said, arguing the reforms could prevent deaths linked to domestic abuse.The bill also targets the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including those generated with artificial intelligence, and would make it a crime to threaten to distribute such images — something the government says has increasingly been used to coerce women and minors. New offences would expand protections for children online, including measures dealing with sexual exploitation and extortion involving abuse material..A significant portion of the legislation focuses on reducing delays in the justice system following the Supreme Court’s Jordan decision, which imposed timelines for criminal trials. The government says nearly 10,000 cases have been thrown out due to delays. The bill changes how time is calculated in proceedings, particularly in sexual-assault trials, and directs courts to consider remedies other than staying charges when time limits are exceeded.The legislation also increases maximum penalties for several sexual offences and proposes restoring mandatory minimum sentences in a way the government says is constitutionally compliant..Fraser said the reforms are part of a broader public-safety approach that includes investments in housing, policing, mental-health services and youth-prevention programs.During the press conference, Fraser was asked about a separate bill — Bill C-9 — and whether government MPs would support a Bloc Québécois amendment removing religious defences from the willful promotion of hate offence. He said the amendment would not prevent religious leaders from reading scripture and maintained discussions are ongoing.The Protecting Victims Act is now before Parliament, and the government says it hopes to see it pass with support from all parties.
