Education top of mind as St. John's lawyer prepares for N.S. shooting inquiry
Early learning on topics like domestic violence key to preventing femicide, says Erin Breen
Advocacy groups are pushing for school-age children as young as five to learn about safe and healthy relationships as the Mass Casualty Commission in Nova Scotia is set to begin next week.
St. John's lawyer Erin Breen is representing a coalition of women's groups — the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund in Toronto, as well as Halifax non-profits Avalon Sexual Assault Centre and Wellness Within — as the commission prepares to examine the link between intimate partner violence and the Nova Scotia mass shooting.
Breen said the ideas from the group won't come as a surprise — they're the same recommendations that have been echoed for years by advocates.
"It's not anything novel, but hopefully, if you knock on the door enough times something will give," Breen said. "People know now what we need to do."
One of the key items of importance is the need for compulsory education beginning in kindergarten, on issues involving gender-based violence, she said.
"I think you can start to teach children about basic human rights and the fact that there are power imbalances in our society, which have been reinforced by our institutions and in our laws, that we really have to reverse, and counter a lot of the subliminal messages that exist in our society," Breen said.
The Mass Casualty Commission will inquire and make findings on the causes, context and circumstances that led to the deaths of 22 people in April 2020. In addition to reviewing the responses of RCMP and supporting agencies, the commission will also examine related issues such as the role of gender-based and intimate partner violence.
According to search warrant documents, the man responsible for the killing spree in rural Nova Scotia attacked his common-law partner when she was in bed and fired several shots in her direction before locking her in his replica RCMP cruiser. She managed to escape into the woods, where she reportedly hid until morning.
In the woman's statement to police, she said her spouse was abusive toward her in the past but she never reported him. Other sections of police documents reference people recounting the gunman's violence toward his longtime partner.
Where do Atlantic provinces stand?
CBC News contacted the education departments in all four Atlantic Canadian provinces to see where each stands on early education of healthy family relationships.
All programs and the ages at which they begin vary.
Education on safe and healthy relationships begin in primary school and continues each year after in Nova Scotia, said a spokesperson from the N.S. Department of Education and Childhood Development.
Gender-based violence education is introduced in Grade 4, and in Grade 8 students learn about domestic violence.
The province also notes several programs focused on healthy families, including the development of a provincial plan called Standing Together which aims to prevent and respond to domestic violence. Included in that plan is a program for male-identified students in grades 5 to 10 that teaches "healthy masculinity and address the complexities of domestic violence."
Dominic Cardy, New Brunswick's education minister, said his province begins teaching students about domestic violence in kindergarten in the francophone stream.
"We start off talking about issues of consent, violence, and those fundamental questions as early as possible," Cardy said during an interview with CBC News.
"The more you can make them as normal as possible for the children to talk about, the more likely they are to share stories with adults and raise issues that you would want to come to the schools attention or to responsible adults."
Clearly the best way to deal with problems — no surprise — is talking about them.- Dominic Cardy
In the anglophone sector, the curriculum for middle school addresses healthy relationships and aims to encourage students to identify and report and prevent sexual and relationship violence.
Cardy said his department wants to bring the anglophone sector in line with the francophone stream by introducing the topic in kindergarten.
"Clearly the best way to deal with problems — no surprise — is talking about them ... talking about them in a structured way through school, so that's absolutely something we are pursuing."
In Newfoundland and Labrador, intimate partner violence is not a specific curriculum outline.
A spokesperson from the department points to the health program in Grade 1, which includes a section on relationships, and a high school course that discusses power and control issues.
The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District is about to pilot a program called Kids in the Know, which has been endorsed by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. The program focuses on consent — not intimate partner violence.
Students in P.E.I. are taught about healthy relationships in health class, but don't begin to focus on family relationships until Grade 5. High school students are required to take a wellness course, which teaches personal approaches to conflict and examines legal rights concerning relationships.
1 woman or girl killed every 2.5 days
A Report to Guide the Implementation of a National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Gender-Based Violence was presented to the federal government in April. The plan was led by Women's Shelters Canada and aims to undo centuries of injustice and violence against women and girls. It would costs billions for the entire plan to come to fruition, according to the report. Early education is listed as one of the recommendations.
There has been a commitment by all of the provinces and the federal government to end gender-based violence within a 10-year period.
One woman or girl is killed every 2.5 days in Canada, according to the report. It said the number of deaths have increased since 2019, and that forced isolation from COVID-19 sped up its work.
Breen said many of the points she will raise at the inquiry will mirror what's in that document.
The first phase of the public hearing has been delayed twice, and is now scheduled to begin Tuesday. The role of gender-based and intimate partner violence is expected to be addressed in the second phase of the public hearing, which is set for the spring.
Support is available for anyone affected by intimate partner violence. You can access support services and local resources in Canada by visiting this website. If your situation is urgent, please contact emergency services in your area.
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