WomanACT is heartbroken and outraged by the recent femicides of Navneet Kaur and Thi Nguyen in Toronto. We extend our deepest condolences to their families, loved ones, and communities as they grieve these unimaginable losses.
We must call these deaths what they are: Femicide.
Femicide is the most extreme form of men’s violence against women and girls. It reflects patterns of gender-based violence, coercive control, and the belief that women can be punished for asserting their autonomy. In Canada, a woman or girl is killed violently every two days, most often by a man. These are not isolated incidents—they are part of a preventable and ongoing epidemic of intimate-partner violence and gender-based violence.
The circumstances reported in these cases are deeply troubling. Both women were allegedly killed by men who were already known to them. Public reporting indicates that both accused had prior histories of violence against the victims, and both had been released under court-ordered conditions following previous allegations of intimate partner violence or harassment. These reports describe women who sought protection, disclosed violence, and engaged with systems that were intended to keep them safe.
They deserved better.
Survivors deserve better.
Every woman deserves better, including the many who never disclose, because reaching out has never been safe, affordable, or available to them.
When women disclose abuse, report violence, obtain protection orders, or engage with the justice system, they should not have to wonder whether those interventions will be enough to keep them alive. Every missed opportunity for coordinated risk assessment, information sharing, accountability, and survivor-centred safety planning can have irreversible consequences.
These deaths remind us that responding to intimate partner violence requires more than individual interventions after violence has escalated. It requires systems that recognize patterns of coercive control, respond proportionately to escalating risk, and work together to prevent lethal violence before it occurs.
At WomanACT, we continue to advocate for coordinated, evidence-informed responses that place survivor safety at the centre. This includes strengthening cross-sector collaboration between the violence against women sector, police, health care, child welfare, housing, and the justice system; improving early identification of high-risk cases; ensuring meaningful accountability for repeat offenders; investing in survivor-centred services; and implementing coordinated risk assessment and case management practices that can prevent future deaths.
No woman should be killed by a man’s violence. Not one. Not the women who reported it, and not the women who never could.
And when a woman does reach out, the response should be strong enough to keep her alive.
No family should have to wonder whether more could have been done.
As our communities mourn, we will not forget the countless survivors who continue to navigate systems that are too often fragmented, under-resourced, and unable to respond to the realities of escalating violence. We stand in solidarity with survivors, advocates, frontline workers, and the families forever changed by femicide.
We owe these women more than our grief.
We owe them action.
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, please call 911 or your local emergency services immediately. Your safety is the top priority.
Assaulted Women’s Helpline:
24/7 helpline and set hours for online chat for safety planning, support, and help seeking shelters. Has access to interpretation.
Call: 1-888-715-0536 or visit www.awhl.org
Fem’aide:
French language 24/7 helpline offering support for domestic violence in Ontario.
Call: 1-877-336-2433 or visit www.femaide.ca
Talk4Healing:
24/7 culturally safe telephone helpline, text or chat for Indigenous women in Ontario
Call: 1-888-200-9997 or visit www.talk4healing.com
The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/ Multicultural Women Against Rape (TRRC/MWAR):
24/7 helpline open to all survivors of rape and sexual assault
Call: 416-597-8808 or visit www.trccmwar.ca
Victim Services Toronto:
24/7 helpline for crisis response services for victims of crime in Toronto.
Call: 416-808-7066 or visit www.victimservicestoronto.com
The 519:
Offers services and programs for persons identifying as 2SLGBTQ+.
Call: 416-392-6874 or visit www.the519.org
Aakanksha Mathur (she/her)
Manager of Public Policy, Advocacy and Communications
WomanACT
416-944-9242 Ext. 231
amathur@womanact.ca
womanact.ca
WomanACT welcomes the debate on Lydia’s Law at Queen’s Park and urges all members of the Legislature to support it.
Lydia’s Law would bring much-needed transparency and accountability to how Ontario’s justice system handles sexual assault cases. It would require the Attorney General to report publicly, every year, on progress implementing key recommendations from the Auditor General’s 2019 audit of Ontario’s criminal court system; create a standing mechanism to review that progress; review the adequacy of the Victim Quick Response Program; and ensure survivors are made aware of the various independent legal advice avenues available to them.
What gets measured gets managed, and right now, Ontario does not consistently publish why these cases fall apart.
Lydia’s Law builds on the Auditor General’s 2019 audit of Ontario’s criminal court system, which urged the Ministry of the Attorney General to report publicly on how the court system is performing and to record why criminal cases are stayed or withdrawn before trial. Because those recommendations concern the court system as a whole, the transparency Lydia’s Law would create reaches intimate partner violence cases, not only sexual assault. Survivors of gender-based violence: whether they have experienced sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or human trafficking, deserve a justice system that is transparent about its own performance and accountable for improving it.
“Survivors are asked to be extraordinarily resilient simply to be heard. Lydia’s Law would not ask that of them: it would ask the system to account for itself. After more than twenty years in this sector, I have seen again and again how the absence of data becomes the absence of accountability. This is a practical, common-sense bill, and survivors deserve to see it fully debated and brought to a vote.”
— Harmy Mendoza, Executive Director, WomanACT
Ontario’s survivors have waited long enough; WomanACT urges the Legislature to advance Lydia’s Law through the legislative process without further delay and enact the systemic reforms necessary to strengthen accountability, coordination, and survivor safety. Passing Lydia’s Law is an opportunity to move beyond acknowledgment toward implementation and demonstrate a clear commitment to meaningful, system-wide change.
On November 5th, 2025 the Ontario Legislature unanimously passed a motion recognizing intimate partner violence (IPV) as an endemic, an important acknowledgment that IPV is a persistent, long-standing and systemic problem requiring sustained attention.
This milestone reflects the strength of survivors and the tireless work of VAW advocates, organizations, and municipalities who have championed the declaration of IPV and/or GBV as an epidemic for years to stress the urgency and magnitude of the issue.
Building on this foundation, we continue to advocate alongside communities across Ontario for comprehensive responses to IPV. Together, we can match words with the meaningful, sustained commitments needed to build a safer, more equitable Ontario for women, gender-diverse people in all communities.
WomanACT’s research on The Current State of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Ontario has shown that preventing violence and supporting survivors requires coordinated, system-level change. In our written submission to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy for their study on IPV, in collaboration with community stakeholders, we outlined evidence-informed recommendations to strengthen prevention, improve survivor-centered responses, and address the structural conditions, such as housing, economic insecurity, and digital abuse, that contribute to violence.
WomanACT remains committed to collaborating with survivors, government partners, and service providers to ensure that this declaration leads to concrete, long-term action and meaningful support for those affected by Gender Based Violence.
This recognition during Woman Abuse Prevention Month and ahead of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) reflects growing awareness and commitment across all parties to address this critical issue. We welcome this step forward and remain committed to working collaboratively toward even stronger action.
We are grateful to work in partnership with all levels of government and community stakeholders committed to ending intimate partner violence and gender-based violence.
With commitment,
Harmy Mendoza
Executive Director
WomanACT
Endorsed by the following WomanACT members:
Abrigo Centre
Barbara Issett, Individual WomanACT Member
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
Bina Patel, Individual WomanACT Member
Child Development Institute
Colleen Rogers, Individual WomanACT Member
Elizabeth Fry Toronto
Kimberly Gillespie, Individual WomanACT Member
Kris Boyce, Individual WomanACT Member
Nellie’s
North York Women’s Centre
Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre
Shanice Harris, Individual WomanACT Member
Shivangi Sawh, Individual WomanACT Member
West Neighbourhood House
Yorktown Family Services
Aakanksha Mathur (she/her)
Manager of Public Policy, Advocacy and Communications
WomanACT
416-944-9242 Ext. 231
amathur@womanact.ca
womanact.ca
WomanACT welcomes the passage of Budget 2025 and the federal government’s continued commitment to advancing gender equality, safety, and opportunity for women, girls, and gender-diverse people across Canada. We appreciate the recognition that preventing and addressing gender-based violence (GBV) requires sustained investment, cross-sector collaboration, and an unwavering focus on equity and inclusion.
We are encouraged by the government’s proposed $660.5 million over five years in new and ongoing funding for Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). Since its establishment, WAGE has played a vital role in eliminating discrimination, strengthening economic participation, and advancing the rights of women and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Furthermore, we are grateful that WAGE’s budget reduction was kept to 2%, helping shield the department from wider austerity measures and enabling it to sustain progress on gender equity nationwide.
The budget’s reaffirmation of long-term funding, including $382.5 million to advance women’s equality and economic security, $54.6 million to support and strengthen the 2SLGBTQI+ community sector, including Pride Security, and $223.4 million to bolster federal action on gender-based violence represents meaningful steps toward ensuring women’s organizations and 2SLGBTQI+ groups can continue delivering essential supports, addressing systemic barriers, and responding to violence in all its forms.
These investments will help sustain prevention programs, strengthen survivor supports, and advance our vision of a future where all women live free from violence. We also welcome the reaffirmed commitment to ongoing work with provinces and territories through bilateral agreements that fund community-based prevention and direct services for survivors. As implementation progresses, we look forward to clarity on continued funding for the National Action Plan to End Gender Based Violence beyond March 2027.
Preventing Economic Abuse
WomanACT is especially heartened to see significant progress on preventing economic abuse, a common yet often hidden form of gender-based violence. Economic abuse affects many women and gender-diverse individuals in Canada, with rates as high as 1 in 3 women experiencing it from intimate partners. Budget 2025 proposes a voluntary Code of Conduct for the Prevention of Economic Abuse for federally regulated banks, overseen by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. This code will establish clear expectations for how financial institutions can better identify, prevent, and respond to economic abuse, supporting safer financial pathways for survivors and promoting financial independence.
Financial systems are not neutral, they are embedded in and shaped by broader social and gendered contexts. Integrating trauma-informed principles into banking technology is essential to address tech-facilitated financial abuse. WomanACT looks forward to collaborating with all levels of government and financial institutions to grounding this code in survivor-centered principles, accessibility, financial empowerment, collaboration, and continuous improvement. By acknowledging the powerful role that Canada’s financial sector plays in recognizing signs of coercion, manipulation, restricted access to money, sabotage of employment, or forced debt, the government takes an important step toward comprehensive violence prevention.
Housing as Safety Infrastructure
Budget 2025 also takes meaningful steps to improve safety and well-being by addressing one of the most urgent and persistent needs for survivors of gender-based violence: safe, affordable, and stable housing.
WomanACT’s research and policy work has consistently demonstrated the critical link between housing stability and survivor safety. This recognition naturally aligns with Canada’s National Housing Strategy Act (2019) that recognized housing as a human right, obligating governments to ensure access to safe, affordable housing for all, particularly for vulnerable populations such as women, gender-diverse people, and survivors of violence. Access to secure housing is often a determining factor in whether a survivor can safely leave an abusive situation.
In addition to affordability challenges, hidden homelessness disproportionately affects women. Hidden homelessness refers to temporary or unstable housing arrangements — staying with family, friends, or in unsafe environments — that are not captured in official statistics. For women fleeing violence, this often involves moving between precarious arrangements or returning to abusive partners.
The expansion of affordable and non-market housing through Build Canada Homes is especially critical. Increasing supply, affordability, and access will particularly support single-parent households, 81% of which are led by women, who are disproportionately at risk of housing instability after leaving violence.
By embedding gender and diversity considerations across decision-making, Budget 2025 acknowledges that economic security, housing access, and community safety are deeply interconnected. These measures reflect a growing recognition that preventing gender-based violence is not only about crisis response, it is about building the structural conditions that allow women and gender-diverse people to live independently, rebuild their lives, and thrive.
Looking Ahead
As a Toronto based organization working within Canada’s national GBV prevention ecosystem, WomanACT recognizes the progress reflected in Budget 2025 and looks forward to continuing our collaborative work with all levels of government, community partners, financial institutions, and survivors. Together, we can build a future where every person, regardless of gender, background, or circumstance, can live safely, independently, and with dignity.
Aakanksha Mathur (she/her)
Manager of Public Policy, Advocacy and Communications
WomanACT
416-944-9242 Ext. 231
amathur@womanact.ca
womanact.ca
WomanACT welcomes and commends the federal government’s announcement of $660.5 million over five years for the Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) in the proposed Budget 2025. This landmark commitment affirms that advancing gender equality and ending gender-based violence (GBV) are not only moral imperatives, but essential foundations for building safe, inclusive, and economically secure communities.
We applaud the government for recognizing that safety is the cornerstone of equity and opportunity – no one can work, learn, or lead without it. These investments represent a critical lifeline for survivors and a step toward strengthening communities across Canada. At WomanACT, we witness every day how economic insecurity, financial abuse, housing precarity, and unsafe workplaces intersect to undermine safety and independence. Renewed federal commitments to GBV crisis supports, evidence-based research, and wraparound community services are key to closing systemic gaps and driving lasting change.
We extend our gratitude to Minister Richie Valdez and her team at WAGE for their steadfast leadership and responsiveness to the sector’s calls for sustained funding and coordinated action. WomanACT remains deeply committed to collaborating with governments, partners, and survivors to advance a National Action Plan that prioritizes prevention, housing, and economic safety, ensuring all women and gender-diverse people can live free from violence and thrive.
Media Contact:
Aakanksha Mathur (she/her)
Manager of Public Policy, Advocacy and Communications
WomanACT
416-944-9242 Ext. 231
amathur@womanact.ca
womanact.ca