MOTHER SPEAKS OUT ABOUT DAUGHTER’S MURDER TO PUSH FOR ACTION ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

REGINA – A Saskatchewan mother came to the Legislature today to shine a light on the province’s worst-in-Canada domestic violence rates and urge the government to act after losing her daughter to intimate partner violence.

Joan McDonald’s daughter, Abbie Speir, was murdered in April 2017 at her home in Yellow Grass by an abusive ex-partner just weeks after ending the relationship.

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Since then, McDonald has been working to raise awareness of the issue and has begun gathering petition signatures calling on the Sask. Party government to require every workplace in Saskatchewan to provide education on intimate partner violence.

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“A mother should never have to come to the Legislature to beg her government to take domestic violence seriously,” said Nicole Sarauer, Saskatchewan NDP Justice Critic. “It is unacceptable that Saskatchewan continues to have the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, and yet this government refuses to take meaningful action.”

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Saskatchewan continues to lead the provinces in rates of family and intimate partner violence, with 737 victims of family violence and 714 victims of intimate partner violence per 100,000 people.

The intimate partner violence rate in Saskatchewan is more than double the national average of 356 per 100,000. Since Scott Moe became Premier in 2018, Saskatchewan’s IPV rate has risen by 13.3%.

Violent crime rates against young women and girls remain especially severe in Northern Saskatchewan, reaching 13,886 per 100,000 in 2019 — five to six times higher than rates in the south and higher than those in Canada’s three territories.

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“Saskatchewan women deserve a future where they feel safe in their own homes and communities,” said Jacqueline Roy, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Women. “This government isn't even getting the basics right after 18 years.”

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