The winding journey of ‘Keira’s Law’

Tyndall Park

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/03/2025 (562 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the only Liberal MLA inside the Manitoba Legislature, I have several roles and responsibilities and at times, I get to do things that compliment and overlap these roles and responsibilities.

One example of this is ‘Keira’s law’, also known as Bill 209, the provincial court amendment act (expanded training for judges and judicial justices of the peace).

In summary, Keira’s law is named for Keira Kagan, a four-year-old girl who was found dead next to her father at the bottom of an Ontario cliff in 2020. This was after her father was granted permission to have access to Keira, despite 53 court orders being issued against him for unpredictable and violent behaviour.

Bill 209 is about providing judges and judicial justices of the peace with ongoing education on intimate partner violence, coercive control and sexual assault law. This legislation was supported and enacted by all political parties in Ontario and nationally.

I had the honour of first introducing the legislation here in Manitoba on April 3, 2024. In doing so, as the MLA for Tyndall Park, I felt empowered because many of you had reached out to me about the need for it. As the interim leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, I was exceptionally honoured to be the one to bring it forward and work with many advocates to promote positive change.

By Oct. 10, the bill had passed through committee. No changes were suggested but, shortly after that, partisan politics seemed to creep in.

I was disappointed that others took the opportunity to play games with this legislation. Manitoba has one of the highest rates of intimate partner violence, yet the government continued to actively shut down the legislation. I even requested leave of the house to allow Bill 209 to be voted on but it continued to be denied.

Through many conversations, the Justice Minister and I were able to come to a deal. I was advised that if I wanted Keira’s law implemented, I would need to withdraw my bill so the government could introduce its own. I decided that this was the correct move, so on Oct. 30, I withdrew Bill 209 and the Government replaced it with Bill 41, the provincial court amendment act. It was kind of the Justice Minister to allow for me to second it, and I must agree that the bill was stronger, as it included clauses on recognition and financial support.

Unfortunately, the political games continued as the opposition would not allows Bill 41 to go to a vote. Because of this, our province has missed an incredible opportunity.

That said, as we resume the legislative session next month, I will do all I can to see that ‘Keira’s law’ passes in 2025. A big thank you to all who reached out and contributed to this legislation.