Saskatchewan has become the first province to introduce an interpersonal violence disclosure act, also known as Clare’s Law.
The Interpersonal Violence Disclosure Protocol Act will allow police services to disclose information to people who are at-risk through a “right to know” process. Applicants can access that information through a “right to ask” process. Through the law, police can report past violent behaviour to a new spouse or partner.
The province announced its plan to introduce the law in the Throne Speech.
Clare’s Law was introduced in the United Kingdom in honour of Clare Wood. Wood was murdered by her partner and wasn’t aware of his violent past. Her father advocated for better disclosure by police of a person’s violent past to protect domestic violence victims.
“We have seen too many cases of interpersonal, domestic and sexual violence in our province,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan said. “If we are able to identify risk and inform those at risk, we hope to help protect people in Saskatchewan from violent and abusive behaviour by a partner.”
Statistics Canada numbers show that Saskatchewan has the highest rate of intimate partner violence of all Canadian provinces.
The government says it will work with police services and other organizations to help survivors of domestic violence.
