A Nova Scotia organization that provides transitional services to women is calling on political leaders to pay more attention to gender-based violence during this provincial election campaign.
Transition House Association of Nova Scotia released a report earlier this week that said political parties need to commit to “epidemic-level” funding for groups that address the issue.
“It’s hard to put an exact number on it, but I think what we do know is that it needs to be more than what is being provided now,” said Ann de Ste Croix, the group’s executive director.
The group also analyzed the parties’ platforms, concluding the NDP’s is best equipped to address gender-based violence, followed closely by the Liberals’. Both parties were recognized for their anti-poverty measures, while the Progressive Conservatives were graded significantly lower.
Over the past month, three fatal cases of intimate partner violence have made headlines in the province, including the death of Brenda Tatlock-Burke.
The 59-year-old woman’s daughter, Tara Graham, told Global News earlier this month that the family was speaking out to shed light on the case — and to prevent future ones.
“My sister and I just felt like she needed to be brought to life in who she was and the means in which she was killed,” Graham said.
“I just don’t feel like it’s taken seriously until somebody is severely injured or they’re dead.”
De Ste Croix says given how urgent the problem is, the group was hoping the parties would have paid more attention to gender-based violence in their campaigns.
“There is an urgency to addressing this issue in the province and in providing that support to folks that are living with violence currently,” de Ste Croix said.
NDP Leader Claudia Chender agrees with that assessment.
In September, the Nova Scotia house of assembly passed a bill, introduced by the NDP, declaring intimate-partner violence an “epidemic” in the province.
“We have to have epidemic-level funding to the front-line organizations that are working with women and communities to ensure that this doesn’t happen and that we can change the culture and stem the tide of this kind of violence,” Chender said.
PC Leader Tim Houston said his government has been following — and would continue to follow if re-elected — the recommendations laid out by the Mass Casualty Commission. The commission was tasked with reviewing the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia, which was preceded by a domestic assault against the shooter’s spouse.
“We are moving forward with recommendations that would include things like additional supports for survivors, including things like counselling and other supports that are available. So we’ll continue to move for that,” he said.
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill told Global News his party would further invest in front-line supports.
“We will create an office in the Health Department to deal with this to support women,” Churchill said.
“We will also be investing in women’s centres and those community-based organizations that provide the direct front-line support for women who are fleeing violence or struggling with it.”
— with a file from The Canadian Press