Conservatives want federal judges to undergo training on sex assault

By Cormac Mac Sweeney

The federal Conservatives want to make it mandatory for all new judges in Canada to have completed training and education on sexual assault.

The bill has been introduced by interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose, who said there is growing concern around sexual assault trials in Canada.

“This is about reassuring Canadians that, should they ever seek justice in court in connection to a sexual assault case, that they will be dealing with a judge that is trained and equipped to oversee such sensitive matters in their courts,” she said.

Ambrose said many survivors of sexual assault are not pressing charges because they don’t have confidence in the Canadian justice system. That is something she hopes to fix with this bill

“It will require that a lawyer receives training in sexual assault law and rape mythology in order to be eligible for a federally-appointed position,” she said.

While Ambrose said there isn’t a single case that motivated her bill, recently a Calgary judge has been under scrutiny after asking a sexual assault complainant why she “couldn’t keep her knees together.”

Ambrose is calling on other parties to support the bill, and is even allowing the Liberals to adopt it as a government bill.

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