New Identities vote in the hands of the Liberals

Monday May 1, 2000

OTTAWA-Today Jay Hill, MP Prince George-Peace River, called upon the Liberal Members of Parliament to vote in favour of his Private Members Bill (C-223) which, if passed, would extend the Witness Protection Program to include abused spouses in fear for their lives. Although Private Members votes are free, all of the opposition parties have pledges their support for this bill.

"I am pleased with the support I have received from the NDP, the PCs and the Bloc for this initiative. The government has stated that Bill C-223 is not the right answer to the problem. The fact is that every week in this country two women die at the hands of their present or past intimate partners. That is the problem I want addressed. That is a statistic that we must remedy," said Hill.

Mr. Hill sent a letter to each Member of Parliament asking them to support his initiative in order to bring the issues of domestic violence, spousal abuse and witness protection before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

"My bill is non-partisan, it attempts to help those whose lives are in danger. As Parliamentarians we have a duty to do whatever we can to help those most vulnerable in our society. I want the Committee to hear from victims, experts and the frontline workers who deal with the horrors of domestic violence on a daily basis. If my bill is not the right answer, then lets work together to find right one. If necessary I will change my bill to reflect the committee’s recommendations," added Hill.

The recent changes to the Immigration Act include a provision to exclude immigrants with a history of domestic violence from entering Canada. "This is the government’s first legislative acknowledgement of domestic violence since I have been an MP. Let’s build on this by working together to help Canadian s, particularly women, who live in constant fear for their lives…and the lives of their children," concluded Hill.