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By Dylana Kneeshaw

PRIVATE MEMBER'S BILL

Kamloops MP’s bill on legal changes surrounding intimate partner violence set to be debated by end of month

Oct 15, 2025 | 3:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — A private member’s bill from the Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola MP is headed to debate in the House of Commons later this month.

The bill would change Canada’s legal system by creating a new offence of ‘assaulting an intimate partner’. It would also classify the murder of an intimate partner as first-degree murder in all cases, allow a judge to have a risk assessment conducted when a person is on release and streamline the detention of seized goods.

“To me, this is something that is way beyond time for it to happen. It’s long overdue,” states MP Frank Caputo. “When I see something that’s long overdue, I think it’s my job as a legislator to bring it forward. I am really hoping that the Liberals cooperate to fast-track this bill.”

In the best-case scenario, Caputo says the bill can be debated at second reading on October 20. From there, it could go to a vote and then to committee.

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“I”m hopeful that the Liberals will agree to get this to committee sooner. Maybe we don’t have to have that second hour of debate, that type of thing. If we were to go through every step, the best possible case scenario would likely be March or April that this bill could be done in the senate,” he adds.