Talk of gender-based violence largely absent from N.S. election, says women’s group

HALIFAX — Domestic violence has not been given enough attention during the Nova Scotia election campaign, with only one of the three major parties mentioning intimate-partner violence in their platform, says a group that advocates for women’s rights.

“Given the urgency with which (gender-based violence) needs to be addressed, we were hoping to have it be more present in the campaigns and platforms,” Ann de Ste Croix, executive director of Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, said in a recent interview.

Transition House Association of Nova Scotia released a report earlier this week calling on the province to take immediate steps to reduce violence against women and girls. It also called on all political parties to commit to “epidemic-level” funding for groups that address intimate-partner violence, but it didn’t give a specific number. The report said the level of investment needed must reflect the urgency of addressing what it called the systemic and widespread violence toward women and girls in the province.

An increase in investment is especially pressing, said de Ste Croix, as three women in Nova Scotia were killed by their intimate partners since mid-October.

In September, the Nova Scotia house of assembly passed a bill, introduced by the NDP, declaring intimate-partner violence an “epidemic” in the province. At the time, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Nova Scotia had the highest rate of intimate-partner violence of any province, with more than 30 per cent of women and about 22 per cent of men reported having been physically or sexually assaulted by their partner since age 15.

The party says it was citing Statistics Canada data from 2018. Data from 2023 from the federal agency on police-reported cases of intimate-partner violence said Nova Scotia had a rate of 338 cases per 100,000 people, below the national average of 354 cases. Nova Scotia’s rate, however, was above that of Ontario, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island.

Providing “epidemic-level” funding for domestic violence services at all levels of government is also a recommendation included in the Mass Casualty Commission’s final report on the 2020 shooting in Nova Scotia that claimed 22 lives. The gunman’s 13-hour rampage across northern and central Nova Scotia began after he brutally assaulted his spouse.

De Ste Croix said she understands that recommendations take time to be implemented. But more than one year after the recommendations were made public, her group has seen a rise in demand for its services, which she said shows an immediate need for further provincial intervention.

One chief recommendation in the report by de Ste Croix’s group is building more affordable housing. For many people trying to flee an abuser, the lack of housing options is one of the major barriers they face escaping safely, the report said.

The report also calls on the next elected government to fund and deliver age-appropriate gender-based violence programs in schools; provide specialized training on gender-based violence for health-care workers and law enforcement officials; and expand legislation to include protection for victims who suffer non-physical forms of abuse like coercive control.

“Unless you know someone who’s been directly impacted by violence or you are a survivor yourself, you might not see how these things are related to violence prevention,” she said.

Along with the report, de Ste Croix’s group released a comparative analysis this week of the three major party platforms, concluding the NDP’s platform is best equipped to address gender-based violence, followed closely by the Liberals. Both parties were recognized for their anti-poverty measures, she said. The Progressive Conservatives were graded significantly lower.

The analysis said there’s room for improvement for each political party, however.

Of the three major parties, only the Liberals explicitly mentioned gender- and intimate-partner violence in their platform, with promises to fund housing for women fleeing domestic violence, and adopt a public health approach to prevent abuse.

An email from an NDP spokesperson said the party will “appropriately fund organizations that fight intimate-partner violence and support Nova Scotians experiencing gender-based violence to ensure they have access to trauma-informed counselling.”

The Progressive Conservatives said in an email that the party takes domestic violence “very seriously,” saying that since they were elected in 2021 they provided $7.1 million to 16 community-based organizations to help address gender-based violence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

Cassidy McMackon, The Canadian Press