Canada Toughens Criminal Law: Femicide in Cases of Abuse and Control Becomes First-Degree Murder

Canada has enacted one of its most significant criminal law reforms aimed at protecting women and victims, after the Protecting Victims Act, known as Bill C-16, received Royal Assent on June 18, 2026.

The new law addresses several sensitive and urgent issues, including femicide, intimate partner violence, coercive control, digital abuse, threats involving private images, and sexually explicit deepfakes created with artificial intelligence.

One of the most important changes is that certain killings of women and girls will now be treated as first-degree murder when they occur in specific circumstances, including coercive control, hate, sexual violence, or exploitation. The Department of Justice describes these cases as femicide when the victim is a woman or girl.

However, the reform does not mean that every murder of a woman will automatically be classified as first-degree murder. The key issue is the context of the crime, particularly whether it was linked to gender-based violence, repeated control within an intimate relationship, sexual exploitation, or hate.

The law also creates a new offence of coercive control in intimate partner relationships. This refers to repeated patterns of behaviour such as threats, isolation, manipulation, surveillance, psychological pressure, or sexually coercive conduct that would reasonably cause a victim to fear for their physical or psychological safety.

This part of the reform is especially important because it moves the legal focus beyond physical violence alone. It recognizes that abuse can begin long before a physical assault takes place, through patterns of control, intimidation, and fear.

Bill C-16 also responds to new forms of digital abuse. It criminalizes threats to distribute non-consensual intimate images, including sexually explicit fake images or videos created using artificial intelligence, often referred to as sexual deepfakes.

The reform expands the legal framework around non-consensual intimate images and increases penalties in some cases, reflecting the growing risks created by technology and AI-based abuse.

The legislation also changes parts of the criminal harassment framework. Instead of relying only on proving that the victim personally feared for their safety, the law will also consider whether a reasonable person in the victim’s circumstances would have felt afraid. It also recognizes the role of modern technology, including electronic surveillance, in harassment and abuse.

The Protecting Victims Act strengthens victims’ rights within the justice system as well. It includes clearer protections around respectful treatment, access to information about cases, consideration of victims’ interest in timely proceedings, and the use of support measures during testimony, such as a support person or, in some cases, a support animal.

Most of the reforms will come into force 30 days after Royal Assent, on July 18, 2026. However, the coercive control provisions may take effect later, within a maximum of two years, to allow time for training and practical implementation across the justice system.

For Arab communities in Canada, this law carries a direct and practical message: abuse within a relationship is not limited to physical violence. It can include threats, isolation, surveillance, financial or psychological control, and the use of private images for pressure or blackmail.

The reform also makes clear that technology, including artificial intelligence, is no longer outside the reach of criminal accountability. In Canada’s evolving justice system, abuse that happens online or through digital tools can carry serious legal consequences.