ENGLISH
• SUMMARY
SUMMARY
• Preamble
Preamble
• Short Title
Short Title
• Interpretation
Interpretation
• National Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic Violence
National Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic Violence
• Report and publication
Report and publication
• Review and report
Review and report

SUMMARY

Short Title

Short title

1 This Act may be cited as the National Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act.

Interpretation

Definitions

2 The following definitions apply in this Act.

medical practitioner means a person who is entitled to practise medicine under the laws of a province. (médecin)

Minister means the Minister of Employment and Social Development. (ministre)

nurse practitioner means a registered nurse who, under the laws of a province, is entitled to practise as a nurse practitioner — or under an equivalent designation — and to autonomously make diagnoses, order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe substances and treat patients. (infirmier praticien)

National Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic Violence

Consultations

3 (1) The Minister must, in consultation with other federal ministers, provincial and territorial government representatives responsible for social development, families or public safety, and other relevant stakeholders, develop a national strategy for the prevention of domestic violence.

(2) The consultations should include an assessment of

• (a) the adequacy of current federal, provincial and territorial programs and strategies aimed at preventing domestic violence and at protecting and assisting victims of domestic violence;

• (b) the partnerships that may be needed between police forces, health care facilities, advocacy groups and shelters in the prevention of domestic violence and the protection of victims of domestic violence;

• (c) the need to require representatives of health care facilities, medical practitioners and nurse practitioners to provide information on access to legal assistance to patients who they suspect may be victims of domestic violence;

• (d) the need for health professional organizations to require that their members report to the police if they suspect that a patient is a victim of domestic violence;

• (e) the financial and other costs of implementing a national strategy for the prevention of domestic violence; and

• (f) any constitutional, legal or jurisdictional implications of implementing a national strategy for the prevention of domestic violence.

Initiation of consultations

(3) The Minister must initiate the consultations referred to in subsection (1) within one year after the day on which this Act comes into force.

Report and publication

Report to Parliament

4 (1) The Minister must prepare a report setting out the national strategy and cause a copy of the report to be laid before each House of Parliament within two years after the day on which this Act comes into force.

Publication of report

(2) The Minister must post the report on the departmental website within 30 days after the day on which the report is tabled in Parliament.

Review and report

Review and report

5 (1) Within two years after the tabling of the report referred to in section 4, the Minister must prepare a report on the status of the national strategy, setting out his or her conclusions and recommendations regarding the strategy.

Tabling of report

(2) The Minister must cause the report referred to in subsection (1) to be laid before each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after the report is completed.