(OTTAWA) Parliament has passed a bill that includes a measure, known as “Keira’s Law,” which provides for judges to receive training on domestic violence and coercive control in intimate and family relationships.
The law is named after Keira Kagan, a four-year-old child who was found dead, along with her father, in 2020 in what appeared to be a murder followed by suicide. The little girl had been left in the care of the father.
Anju Dhillon, a Montreal Liberal MP who introduced the bill in February 2022, said at a press conference that it was a concrete step to further protect women and children from domestic violence.
The new law also provides for electronic monitoring as a possible condition of release for those charged with domestic violence.
This condition would apply when judges believe that releasing a defendant on bail could jeopardize the safety of others.
Jennifer Kagan, mother of baby Keira, welcomed the passage of the law, which she says will cement her daughter’s legacy as a beacon of protection and safety for others.
