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- Published: 18 March 2025
March 18, 2025
Today CNPEA delivered a written submission to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs to help inform its study of Bill C-332, which proposes to make coercive control by intimate partners a standalone offence. While Bill C-332 is a positive step in the right direction, it must be noted that coercive control is not only perpetrated by intimate partners. Coercive control is also a common tactic of adult children and others in relationships of trust and dependency with an older person.
Bill C-332's limitation to intimate partner relationships neglects the complex and pervasive nature of such abuse among older adults. Recognizing that coercive control extends beyond intimate partner violence to include family, caregivers and others in positions of trust is critical to adequately protect older people, particularly those with added vulnerabilities, under the law.
CNPEA is urging senators to amend Bill C-332 so the proposed coercive control offence extends beyond intimate partners and protects elder abuse victims.
