The family of a Kelowna mother of two who was beaten to death in a parking lot last month is looking for changes to protect victims of intimate partner violence from suffering her same fate.
Bailey McCourt's family has proposed "Bailey's Law." The proposal is for series of changes including a provincial domestic violence offender registry, mandatory GPS monitoring with victim notification for high-risk offenders, and stronger penalties for intimate partner homicides with a documented history of abuse.
"Across Canada, women are being killed by former or current intimate partners at an alarming rate," the McCourt family wrote in a letter addressed to both Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
"The justice system is failing to protect victims from known, high-risk offenders, especially in cases where there has already been a documented history of violence."
The man charged in McCourt's death is her estranged husband James Plover. On the day of the allegations he's now facing, he was convicted of assault by choking and uttering threats in a domestic violence case. He was allowed to walk free while awaiting sentencing.
The proposal has gained support from Conservative MLAs.
“I commend Bailey’s family for turning their grief into action and using Bailey’s legacy as a force for good. Intimate partner violence is a growing crisis in our province," Local MLA, Kristina Loewen, MLA for Kelowna Centre.
"When someone is convicted of violent offences against an intimate partner, the system should never gamble with a victim’s life. Bailey’s Law lays out clear, preventative steps that could save lives, and I urge the province to act without delay.”
Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna–Mission, said the woman's family has shown extraordinary courage in the face of unimaginable loss.
"Their proposals are practical, measured, and urgently needed. We owe it to them, and to every woman at risk of violence, to ensure Bailey’s Law is adopted without delay," he said.
In Canada, a woman is killed by her intimate partner every six days, according to statistics from the Canadian Women's Foundation. In B.C., a domestic violence accounts for approximately one-quarter of all homicides.
In 2023, at least 184 women and girls were victims of femicide in Canada, according to the Canadian Femicide Observatory.
"These numbers are not just statistics they are a life lost," the McCourt family said in their open letter.
"Bailey’s story illustrates a pattern: the legal system identifies a threat, documents abuse yet fails to protect the victim from the ultimate act of violence."
