The Manitoba government has proposed legislation that aims to help protect Manitobans from intimate partner violence.
Families Minister Rochelle Squires introduced a bill in the legislature Monday that is similar to what is commonly called Clare’s Law.
If passed, the law would give people access to their partner’s violent history as a preventive measure against harm, even if some information might normally be deemed personal and beyond publicly available court records.
“Manitoba has some of the highest rates of intimate partner violence and family violence in Canada,” said Squires.
“These types of violence primarily affect women and girls, disproportionally affect those living in rural, remote and northern communities, Indigenous people, people of colour and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.”
Details regarding domestic, family and sexual violence would be available under the province’s take on Clare’s Law.
According to Squires, the law would see Manitoba have a first-of-its-kind disclose and support approach, wherein public or community-based supports will be available for those who need them.
“We are pleased that community-based supports will be woven into the process and that sexual violence will be in scope,” said Signy Arnason, associate executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
“It is critically important for parents to be able to obtain essential information to help protect their child and this legislation will do just that.”
The government has not yet worked out what level of detail would be provided. Squires said the law would only come into effect one year after it is approved in the legislature, in order to have time to strike the right balance.
The bill would let a person apply online for information about their partner. If police and a director in the Families Department jointly believe there is information that warrants sharing, they could disclose it to the individual, who would be required to keep it confidential except in some circumstances.
The Manitoba bill, if it becomes law, would go further than those in other provinces, Squires said, because it would allow for the disclosure of more types of prior violence.
It would also require authorities to develop a safety plan for the person at risk and provide information on help available to them.
One important aspect of the plan is a fast turnaround time so that people are not waiting for information that could protect them, said Diane Redsky, executive director of Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, an Indigenous-led family resource centre in Winnipeg.
“We all know that knowledge is power,” Redsky said.
“It needs to be easy and timely … and I’m really glad to hear that there will be efforts made to ensure that that is quick and timely.”
–With files from The Canadian Press
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