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A grieving B.C. family that fought for tougher federal laws to address intimate partner violence is now pressing the provincial government for change.
“It’s deplorable that we’re still having to be here to fight,” said Debbie Henderson, standing in the lobby of the B.C. Legislature on Tuesday.
Henderson’s niece, Bailey McCourt, a 32-year-old mother of two, was killed in a Kelowna parking lot in broad daylight in July 2025.
McCourt’s estranged husband, James Plover, has been charged with first-degree murder in the case.
He was convicted of assault and released from court pending sentencing in a separate case just hours before her death.
“These things are still happening,” said Henderson.
“I don’t know anybody in our community that supports that individual being released. If they’re a danger to others, a danger to society, we need to step up and do something about it.”
In April, the House of Commons passed a Conservative private member’s bill called C-225, or Bailey’s Law, proposing amendments to the Criminal Code.
Those changes include making the killing of an intimate partner an automatic first-degree murder charge, empowering courts to hold individuals charged with domestic assault for up to seven days for a risk assessment, and changing bail rules for those with a previous domestic violence conviction.
The Canadian Senate is now considering the bill.
B.C. has seen a spate of intimate partner violence in the last week, two of which involved people in their 60s and up. As Johna Baylon reports, intimate partner violence has been on the rise among older adults, and advocates are calling for something to be done.
Henderson said the provincial government also has a critical role in preventing domestic violence and ensuring victims’ rights, such as strengthening enforcement of court protection orders and expanding GPS monitoring of suspects out on bail.
“We need the government to do their job and keep us safe,” Henderson said.
Politicians weigh in
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma told CBC News the government has lobbied Ottawa on the passage of Bailey’s Law and continues to work on the issue.
“Today I tabled an update on the work that we’ve done provincially to make our system better for it to [address] partner violence and violence in general. And that includes risk assessments … that includes GPS monitoring,” she said on Tuesday.
Kelowna Centre Conservative MLA Kristina Loewen intended to introduce a motion in the legislature on Tuesday supporting the McCourt family and victims of domestic violence.
But Loewen was denied unanimous consent to proceed, and instead entered a statement into the legislative record.
Neither the government nor the Conservative opposition have plans to introduce bills in the legislature to address the McCourt family’s calls for justice reforms.
