Bill C-16: Coercive Control in Canada
May 9, 2026
Canadian law has long privileged visible harm. But for many victims, abuse does not need to be physical to be devastating.
In December 2025, Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, proposed amendments to the Criminal Code intended to better reflect contemporary lived realities. Among the proposed changes was the creation of coercive control as an offence, punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The bill also seeks to improve victims’ access to information, strengthen protections in sexual violence cases, enhance notification processes within corrections and parole systems, and address the harms associated with systemic court delays.
However, the legislation remains in its early stages. It has been introduced in Parliament, is currently undergoing committee review and debate, but has not yet received Royal Assent or come into force.
What is Coercive Control?
Coercive control refers to a pattern of behaviour designed to dominate a partner. It can include isolating someone from their support networks, monitoring their movements, restricting access to money, and engaging in persistent psychological intimidation. Over time, these tactics work together to compel compliance and erode autonomy. The harm is cumulative, as it typically fosters fear and dependence, and often without leaving any visible evidence.
In Canadian Law
In Canada, coercive control historically was not a distinct criminal offence under the Criminal Code. Instead, Canadian criminal law has captured fragments of coercive control through related offences such as criminal harassment, uttering threats, assault, forcible confinement, intimidation, and stalking.
Coercive control, however, is broader and can appear more complex. It often unfolds through patterns of isolation, surveillance, and manipulation that develop gradually, and usually without a single clearly chargeable incident.
Family law has begun to reflect this reality. Amendments introduced through Bill C-78 recognize coercive and controlling behaviour when courts assess the best interests of the child.
These developments become more visible in Bill C-16, although they will not be legally enforceable until the bill receives Royal Assent and completes the full legislative process.
Earlier efforts to address coercive control appeared in a narrower form through Bill C-332. Bill C-332 and Bill C-16 are two legislative attempts to address the same issue, but in different forms and at different stages of progress within Canada’s lawmaking process. The former focused specifically on creating coercive control as an offence in the Criminal Code without introducing broader amendments to other provisions. While it passed the House at one stage, it ultimately did not become law.
Other jurisdictions have moved more quickly. England and Wales criminalized coercive control in 2015, with similar offences later introduced in Scotland and Ireland.
Looking Forward
The debate about coercive control highlights the challenge of making laws that better reflect real experiences of intimate partner violence while also keeping criminal liability clear and manageable.
At the same time, evidentiary difficulties remain a central challenge. Coercive control cases often rely on patterns of behaviour that unfold over time, making them more difficult to prove with the same clarity as discrete physical acts. This can create inconsistency in how cases are assessed and decided.
Even so, recognizing coercive control marks an important change in how we understand intimate partner violence. If the law is clearly defined and used carefully, it could help the legal system step in sooner and better reflect what victims go through.