ONTARIO 💵 Increased Federal Support for Families, Women and Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence in Ontario

Sunday, 30 July 2023 06:44.PM

Everyone in Canada should expect to live in a society where the justice system is fair, accessible, and supports the needs of victims. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting projects and activities that promote access to justice and give victims and survivors of crime a stronger voice in the family justice system.

On Lujy 17, 2023, Gary Anandasangaree, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Ryan Turnbull, Member of Parliament for Whitby, Ontario, announced that the Government of Canada is providing financial support to four projects led by Luke's Place. Luke's Place is a support and resource centre for women and children and the funding will provide specialized services, resources and information to families, women and survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV).

Luke's Place focuses on the unique needs of women and their children who require assistance when dealing with family law matters. These include, for example, accessible services for women with disabilities, or for services in another language. By designing and offering inclusive services, Luke's Place helps remove systemic barriers faced by many survivors of IPV in the family justice system.

Justice Canada is providing $2,409,915 through the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program. Two projects designed to enhance services for victims of IPV are receiving support:

• The Expanding Services and Enhancing Access to Virtual Independent Legal Advice for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence project increases women's access to free independent legal advice and representation by expanding the existing Virtual Legal Clinic. This initiative also helps recruit, train and mentor additional pro-bono lawyers.

• The Addressing Gaps in Family Court Support Services for IPV Survivors in Ontario through Enhanced Services and Knowledge Mobilization and Supporting National Capacity Building Activities project provides outreach services to marginalized and underserved communities and development tools and resources to improve IPV survivors' safety and experiences in family court.

In addition, Justice Canada is providing $291,755 through the Canadian Family Justice Fund for Luke's Place initiatives to improve access to justice for women and their families navigating the family justice system. This funding supports the following initiatives:

• The Building Awareness about Divorce Act Changes Impacting Women project supports women in underserved areas through an outreach campaign on the March 2021 changes to the Divorce Act regarding parenting arrangements. The project also delivers training to service providers on these changes, including measures for dealing with family violence.

• The Strengthening Access to Justice in Family Court project aims to increase access to family justice for women by providing research-based training to lawyers, ensuring that services are responsive to the complex safety needs of women and their families.

"The violence doesn't end when a woman leaves an abusive partner; in fact, the risks for her and her children may increase. Women who have been subjected to intimate partner violence need critical supports as they navigate the complex family court system. The Department of Justice is an important partner in our efforts to provide these supports. With this funding, Luke's Place is deepening our support to women with intersecting identities, enhancing our legal clinic services, developing new trainings and public legal education resources and expanding our collaborations with other community-based organizations and legal stakeholders across Ontario and Canada."
- Carol Barkwell, Founding Executive Director, Luke's Place Support and Resource Centre for Women and Child

Quick Facts

• Luke's Place works with women who have been subjected to abuse to support them and their children through the family law process. They provide women, their children and their communities with specialized services, resources and information about family law and woman abuse.

• Luke's Place uses the term women to include all self-identifed women (including two-spirited, cisgender or transgender women) 16 years of age and older.

• Intimate partner violence (IPV), also known as spousal or domestic violence, refers to multiple forms of harm caused by a current or former intimate partner or spouse. IPV can happen in any community, in any type of intimate relationship, including within a marriage, common-law or dating relationship, in a heterosexual or a 2SLGBTQI+ relationship. It can happen at any time during a relationship and even after it has ended, whether or not partners live together or are sexually intimate with one another.

• In Budget 2021, as part of investments to advance a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the Government of Canada invested $48.75 million over five years through two Justice Canada programs (the Victims Fund and Justice Partnership and Innovation Program) to ensure access to free legal advice and legal representation for survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Budget 2021 also announced an investment of $35 million over five years for enhanced family justice system supports for victims of IPV.

• The Justice Partnership and Innovation Program provides contribution funding for projects that support a fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. This program supports activities that respond effectively to the changing conditions affecting Canadian justice policy. Priorities include access to justice, family violence, and emerging justice issues. The long-term goal of the program is to contribute to increasing access to the Canadian justice system and strengthening the Canadian legal framework.

• Family law is an area of shared responsibility between the Federal Government and the provinces and territories. The Canadian Family Justice Fund is designed to support provincial and territorial governments, .not-for-profit organizations, associations, academic institutions and individuals. In Budget 2021, the Canadian Family Justice Fund is funded through an investment of $28.35M over five years (2021-22 to 2025-26) The aim of the funding is to extend the reach of family justice programs, services and information to meet the needs of diverse and underserved populations.

• Changes made to the Divorce Act through Bill C-78, Act to Amend the Divorce Act, received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019.

SOURCE: Department of Justice Canada

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