Bailey's Law passes Senate, strengthening intimate partner violence protections
Bill C-225 received Royal Assent after passing its third reading June 16. The law classifies murder with coercive control as first-degree and raises manslaughter sentences.
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Bill C-225, known as Bailey's Law, passed its third reading in the Senate on June 16 and is now awaiting Royal Assent. The legislation strengthens Criminal Code provisions related to intimate partner violence.
The law was introduced by Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola MP Frank Caputo and named after Bailey McCourt, who was killed on July 4, 2025, in a daytime parking lot attack by her estranged ex-husband, James Plover, who is facing first-degree murder charges.
The act would classify murder charges involving a documented history of coercive control as first-degree murder and impose life sentences for some manslaughter convictions, with no eligibility for parole for at least 10 years. It also proposes that courts consider life sentences in cases of manslaughter involving intimate partner violence, and increases the detention period of evidence seized from three months to 180 days.
After the Senate's third reading, Senator Fabian Manning called it "a very important and vital bill for thousands of victims of intimate partner violence and their families." The Senate voted on it with a standing ovation.
On Facebook, Caputo said, "This may be the most significant change to the law of intimate partner violence in Canadian history." "I'm proud to stand with victims of IPV. It's not the end. It's the end of the beginning. And we will continue to press on in Bailey's memory."