assault

Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia: How Should the Law Confront Intimate Partner Violence?

In Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, the Supreme Court of Canada reckoned with the largely-gendered harms of intimate partner violence. Justice Kasirer established a framework for developing new intentional torts, created a new tort of intimate partner violence to combat the distinct wrong of coercive control, and clarified the overlapping roles that tort and family law play for seeking justice and compensating victims. While the Court’s decision provided some needed clarity, it also raised as many questions as it answered, leaving unaddressed issues to be resolved in future decisions.

When Reconciliation Meets Denunciation: Gladue and the Supreme Court’s Challenge in R v Cope

In early 2025, the Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to appeal the decision in R v Cope, a split decision from the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. The primary question of law on appeal concerns how sentencing judges should balance the reconciliatory imperatives of R v Gladue, and R v Ipeelee, with Parliament’s emphasis on denunciation and deterrence as primary considerations in cases involving violence against Indigenous women.