Close X
Friday, November 15, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. To Work On Passing Bill To Require Campus Sex Assault Policies: Christy Clark

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Mar, 2016 11:35 AM
    VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier Christy Clark has vowed to require universities and colleges to have policies protecting students from sexual assault, saying in an emotional address to the legislature that more must be done to make students safe.
     
    The premier committed on Wednesday to working with Green party Leader Andrew Weaver to either pass his private member's bill, the Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Policies Act, or amend and pass a similar version.
     
    "A rapist's best friend is silence. A rapist's best friend is shame. A rapist's best friend is the failure of authorities to recognize a complaint when it comes forward and failure to act on it," she said.
     
    "We will not reduce the prevalence of sexual assault until we strengthen the institutions that are there to protect women, until we ensure that women feel safe coming forward."
     
    Weaver's bill would require post-secondary institutions to write and maintain stand-alone policies to respond to sexual violence, which advocates say are crucial because they set out procedures for responding to complaints and outline support services for victims.
     
    Clark's commitment marks a sudden turnaround from her government's previous approach. Ontario and Manitoba have introduced similar bills but B.C. has until now resisted calls for legislation, instead striking a working group to create a framework to provide guidance to universities.
     
     
    The premier did not give a timeline for introducing legislation, but said she agreed with Weaver that it was an "urgent issue."
     
    Weaver, also a University of Victoria professor, modeled the bill after Ontario's legislation and introduced it in response to growing concerns about sexual violence on campus.
     
    The bill also requires that policies be developed with the input of students and would compel universities to report assaults to the ministry. It would empower the province to impose fines for non-compliance, Weaver told reporters outside the legislature.
     
    He also stressed that prevention and education were major elements of the bill.
     
    Weaver pointed to the alleged experience of a University of Victoria student who told The Canadian Press she felt "invalidated and silenced" after an investigation concluded she hadn't been sexually assaulted because she didn't verbally say "No."
     
     
    "Consent means saying 'Yes.' Just because you don't say 'No' doesn't mean you're saying 'Yes,'" he said. "There needs to be a broader understanding of this."
     
    Wayne MacKay, a Dalhousie University law professor, applauded the B.C. government's commitment. He led a report on the 2013 "rape chants" at Saint Mary's University in Halifax and recommended that school revise its sexual assault policy.
     
    "There are a number of reasons why having a stand-alone discipline policy on sexual assault is important, but one of the big ones is that anybody who has been through the trauma of a sexual assault needs to know clearly where to go to try to get a remedy," he said.
     
    MacKay said while one option is the criminal process, many sexual assault victims fear how they will be treated by police and universities should offer a "shorter and clearer route" to accountability.
     
    Kenya Rogers, director of external relations at the University of Victoria's student society, said she was thrilled by the premier's promise but urged the government not to water the bill down with amendments.
     
     
    "I want the provincial government to recognize that this bill is what students have been begging and asking for," said Rogers. 
     
    "The B.C. government has an opportunity right now to prove that they are going to prioritize safety of students, and anything less than the bill that currently exists wouldn't (accomplish that)."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Nova Scotia Man Loses Challenge Of Minimum Sentence For Shooting, Killing Son

    Nova Scotia Man Loses Challenge Of Minimum Sentence For Shooting, Killing Son
    Michael Paul Dockrill was convicted in April of criminal negligence causing death for shooting his son 20-year-old son, Jason.

    Nova Scotia Man Loses Challenge Of Minimum Sentence For Shooting, Killing Son

    Skier Dies From Injuries Suffered In Sunday Avalanche Near Golden, B.C.

    Skier Dies From Injuries Suffered In Sunday Avalanche Near Golden, B.C.
    The 64-year-old man, who was from Canmore, was airlifted to Calgary in critical condition

    Skier Dies From Injuries Suffered In Sunday Avalanche Near Golden, B.C.

    Look At The Proposed Changes To The Citizenship Act Compared To Existing Law

    Look At The Proposed Changes To The Citizenship Act Compared To Existing Law
    None will take effect until the bill becomes law, and several require a specific date to be set for their implementation.

    Look At The Proposed Changes To The Citizenship Act Compared To Existing Law

    Historic Klondike Woman Should Be On Canadian Money: Yukon Premier

    Historic Klondike Woman Should Be On Canadian Money: Yukon Premier
    Darrell Pasloski has written to Stephen Poloz, governor of the Bank of Canada, to recommend that Martha Louise Black be featured.

    Historic Klondike Woman Should Be On Canadian Money: Yukon Premier

    Terrace, B.C., Mountie Charged With Assault After 2014 Arrest Of Youth

    Terrace, B.C., Mountie Charged With Assault After 2014 Arrest Of Youth
    The youth was allegedly injured during an arrest in Terrace on May 28, 2014.

    Terrace, B.C., Mountie Charged With Assault After 2014 Arrest Of Youth

    Raise Foreign Ownership Limit For Airlines, Reduce Airport Security Fees: Review

    Raise Foreign Ownership Limit For Airlines, Reduce Airport Security Fees: Review
      The 286-page report tabled in Parliament on Thursday was overseen by former federal cabinet minister David Emerson following an 18-month review.

    Raise Foreign Ownership Limit For Airlines, Reduce Airport Security Fees: Review