Last summer, Luke’s Place heard from frontline workers across Ontario about their experiences supporting survivors in family court and helping them find a lawyer. A total of 104 frontline workers responded to our online survey, and 24 workers participated in our focus groups. What we heard from nearly all these workers was how challenging it is for survivors to find a family law lawyer to represent them.
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What it does
Bill C-223 proposes changes to Canada’s Divorce Act, so family court decisions better protect children and survivors of family violence.
Some of the changes this Bill proposes include:
Lawyers having to screen for family violence risk early in a case
Helping judges recognize coercive control and how it affects children
Putting more weight on children’s views,
On March 30, 2023, the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission released its landmark final report, Turning the Tide Together, offering a wide-ranging and deeply grounded blueprint for how Canada could better prevent and respond to violence in all its forms, especially gender-based, intimate partner, and family violence.
Access to justice remains one of the most significant challenges facing women leaving abusive partners. Survivors navigating the family court system without legal representation often face overwhelming barriers, from safety risks to complex procedures that are difficult to manage alone.
Recognizing these challenges, organizations across Canada have been exploring new approaches to legal support that are more responsive to the needs of survivors of gender-based violence.
In December 2025, the federal government introduced Bill C-16: Protecting Victims Act, which proposes significant changes to various laws, including the Criminal Code. The stated purpose of this Bill is “to better protect survivors of gender-based violence, sexual violence and intimate partner violence and keep kids safe from predators.”
A key component of Bill C-16 is the criminalization of
About Luke’s Place:
Luke’s Place Support & Resource Centre for Women & Children is an award-winning non-profit centre of excellence in family law support for women who have been subjected to intimate partner abuse. We are devoted to improving the safety and experience of women and their children as they proceed through the complex family court system.
September 17, 2025 – For Immediate Release
What: Federal funding for gender-based violence legal programs, trauma-informed legal support for survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence, that support the 50% of women and gender diverse people in Canada who experience gender-based violence survivors a year is set to end imminently,
What is an inquest, and why does it matter in the fight against gender-based violence?
In a powerful new episode of the RAGE podcast, lawyer, author, and long-time advocate Pamela Cross joins the hosts to unpack these questions. The conversation takes a close look at the Renfrew County Inquest,
At Luke’s Place, we provide support to women who have been subjected to intimate partner violence (IPV). Their stories are powerful reminders that abuse is not always visible and that understanding what IPV really looks like is essential to offering meaningful support.
IPV does not always look like bruises or broken bones.
As we approach the Donner Prize ceremony on Thursday, May 15, we are proud to celebrate Pamela Cross, lawyer, advocate, and tireless leader in the fight against gender-based violence.
Pamela has been shortlisted for the prestigious award for her powerful book, And Sometimes They Kill You: Confronting the Epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence,
