Saskatchewan government commits to reviewing domestic violence deaths

Saskatchewan Justice Minister Gord Wyant says domestic violence deaths are a significant problem in Saskatchewan that must be addressed.

“It’s a record we’re certainly not very proud of and it’s one of the reasons for moving forward with this committee,” he said.

Wyant made the remarks on Monday while announcing that the province will develop a process to review domestic violence deaths.

“We know a lot of the issues that surround domestic violence. We need to look to see what the programs we have in Saskatchewan within our various ministries to see how effective they are and to see if we can reallocate some resources to better deal with some of the issues that give rise to domestic violence.”

The Ministry of Justice has looked at the review processes in other provinces.

The structure and scope of the Saskatchewan review will be decided after talks with the chief coroner’s office, community-based organizations, police, other government ministries and First Nations groups.

“I want to see women safe. I want to see lives saved, and that’s the potential this has in order to make sure we’re learning the lessons that are there,” said NDP Leader Cam Broten

Broten called for a review last week, saying that Saskatchewan has the one of the highest rates of homicides by intimate partners among Canadian provinces.