Debbie Henderson, the aunt of Bailey McCourt, wears a T-shirt honouring her niece as well as her two daughters, Harper and Aubree, outside of Kelowna Law Courts in British Columbia, on Oct. 22, 2025.Aaron Hemens/The Globe and Mail
Relief and tears hit Carrie Wiebe like a flood when she got a text from Conservative MP Frank Caputo telling her that Bill C-225 was one step closer to becoming law. Recovering from a deadly July, 2025, attack in Kelowna, B.C., Ms. Wiebe described her advocacy for the bill as “what kept me alive.”
Ms. Wiebe and her friend Bailey McCourt were in a parking lot after finishing lunch when the assault with a weapon took place. According to Ms. McCourt’s family, her estranged husband, James Plover, allegedly rammed her car with his own before he got out and bludgeoned her with a hammer. Ms. Wiebe was severely injured.
A mother of two, the 32-year-old Ms. McCourt died in hospital. Mr. Plover has been charged with first-degree murder.
While recovering from brain bruising, physical injuries and complex PTSD from the incident, Ms. Wiebe started a petition calling for stronger protection of domestic violence victims. The petition garnered more than 2,000 signatures within 10 days in what she describes as an “overwhelming” outpouring of support.
“I wanted to give up multiple times,” Ms. Wiebe said, adding that she still cannot fall asleep at night because of the trauma. “The support gave me hope to keep pushing forward.”
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Mr. Caputo’s private member’s bill nicknamed Bailey’s Law in honour of Ms. McCourt passed its third reading in the House of Commons on Monday, and completed its first reading in the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill includes Criminal Code changes such as upgrading intimate partner violence murder to first degree if the perpetrator engaged or previously engaged in coercive conduct. It also says the court must consider a life sentence in manslaughter cases against an intimate partner where coercive conduct was involved.
Meanwhile, the government’s Bill C-16, which includes similar modifications to laws governing intimate partner violence, is undergoing committee review in the House of Commons. The bill also addresses many other Criminal Code changes. While acknowledging some overlap, Liberals and Conservatives behind the two bills say both can co-exist to protect victims from intimate partner violence.
There are “some similarities” between the two bills, but it could be months before Bill C-16 moves on from the committee stage, Mr. Caputo wrote in an e-mail.
“For the sake of all the victims of intimate partner violence, I think it’s important to take the opportunity to pass the legislation already before the Senate as soon as possible,” he said.
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Bill C-16’s efforts “are not in conflict” with Bailey’s Law, as the latter is “a targeted bill focused on intimate partner violence” while the government bill is “one of the most consequential updates to the Criminal Code in a generation,” according to Jeremy Bellefeuille, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Sean Fraser.
“The Minister of Justice is pleased to see it move to the Senate,” Mr. Bellefeuille wrote about Bailey’s Law in an e-mail. “Parliament has already recognized that both bills can move forward together.”
Bill C-16 amends the Criminal Code so the court must consider a life sentence for manslaughter cases in the context of coercive conduct, as well as sexual violence, human trafficking or hate motivation. It also amends the code to upgrade murder to first degree under the same circumstances, as well as outright prohibits a pattern of coercive conduct toward an intimate partner.
Bailey’s Law includes co-ordinating amendments – legislative provisions to resolve potential conflicts between two bills – outlining sections of its legislation that should be repealed or adjusted if both bills receive royal assent.
Two simultaneous bills from Canada’s “dominant parties” addressing intimate partner violence is significant, reflecting how all leaders recognize a “huge issue” of male violence against women, according to Myrna Dawson, a sociology professor with the University of Guelph who researches violence prevention and criminal justice.
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Most cases of intimate partner violence are not reported, according to Statistics Canada. In 2022, police reported more than 117,000 intimate partner violence victims ages 12 or older. Women and girls made up 78 per cent of victims.
“The bills are only the first step, they’re the easiest thing the government can do,” Prof. Dawson said, adding that she would like to see more public education about intimate partner violence, as well as training for judges to handle domestic violence cases.
Ms. Wiebe said she would like to see both Bailey’s Law and Bill C-16 pass. When asked how Ms. McCourt would feel about the progress of the private member’s bill, she said her friend is “jumping for joy.”
Nearly a year since the attack, Ms. Wiebe can still feel Bailey’s presence cheering her on. “I just don’t want her death going unnoticed and forgotten.”