‘Act for the next woman, who is still alive’: Coalition calls on Premier Fréchette to address rise in femicides
Highlighting that as many women have been killed by their partners in the first four months of 2026 than all of 2025 in the province, groups are calling on the Quebec government to take concrete action to prevent future femicides.
Québec solidaire MNAs stood outside the Montreal office of Quebec’s second female premier, Christine Fréchette, alongside a coalition of supporters Tuesday morning to declare that all that’s missing to take action against femicides is political will. The news conference came less than a week after a ninth Quebec woman this year, Hiba Elrhazi, was allegedly killed by her spouse.
“Every time another woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner, all of Quebec is shaken,” said QS parliamentary leader Ruba Ghazal, who wrote an open letter to Fréchette with a list of demands that had been signed by more than 600 people as of Tuesday morning.
“Since the announcement of the ninth femicide, many women have written to me and said, ‘Ruba, what can we do? What should we do?’ Women who, faced with this situation, feel powerless but want to take action,” Ghazal said. “I understand them. It’s impossible for me to stand by in the face of this violence.”
Demands include the creation of a Quebec ministry specifically devoted to women’s rights and equality; a law that would allow women to find out if their partner has a history of violence; and more funding for women’s shelters.
A ministry devoted specifically to women’s rights would ensure the issue isn’t “pushed to the sidelines,” Ghazal said, pointing out that the current minister responsible for the status of women in Quebec is also the minister responsible for housing, a completely separate issue.
Louise Riendeau, spokesperson for the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale, said the implementation of a law like Clare’s Law — in place in the United Kingdom and some Canadian provinces — would allow Quebec women to consult police about their partner’s history of violence.
“Every day, there are women walking on eggshells,” Riendeau said. “Every day, there are women questioning their partner’s behaviour. … We need a law that ensures that kind of protection for women. A law that will give them the best possible information.”
But a law alone isn’t enough, Riendau said. Women’s shelters also need more resources. Half of women seeking help are currently being turned away.
“There simply isn’t enough space,” Riendeau said. “We want Fréchette to use the resources at her disposal to make sure we’re able to support women. We truly need them in order to save the lives of those who are still alive.”
Asked about funding, Ghazal said it shouldn’t be an issue since Quebec Finance Minister Éric Girard set $250 million per year aside for the future premier to use as they saw fit when he tabled the budget during the Coalition Avenir Québec’s leadership race.
“We don’t want that money to become an election tool for the CAQ, allowing them to get re-elected on Oct. 5,” Ghazal said. “There are urgent, pressing needs, and if that money is there, it should be used to meet those urgent needs, especially to create more spaces in women’s shelters.”
Among those who spoke Tuesday was actress Ingrid Falaise, who has long been vocal about her experience with domestic violence. She questioned whether femicides have become normalized, saying that in the 10 years since she publicized her experience, she never stopped receiving messages from women feeling trapped.
“Every time, she is afraid of being next,” Falaise said. “Every time, I am afraid she will be next. She is afraid she won’t be believed. She is afraid she won’t be protected. She is afraid to leave and to die.”
Falaise said she wonders how many of the 190 recommendations to combat domestic and sexual violence, the result of a cross-party National Assembly committee formed in 2020, have been implemented in the time since.
“What’s missing is not knowledge,” Falaise said. “Experts on the ground are naming the problems, making demands, proposing solutions. What’s missing is action.”
Pointing out that an estimated 85 women and 13 children have been killed in Quebec in the context of domestic violence since 2020, Falaise said “the government is ignoring the urgency.”
“That’s more than one Polytechnique every year,” she said. “How many deaths will it take before we act?”
All those who attended Tuesday’s news conference said they have hope, particularly under a female premier. They called her position as the head of Quebec a powerful symbol.
“But we have to go beyond symbols, because symbols don’t save lives,” Ghazal said. “Madam premier … Act for those who today live in fear in their own homes. Above all, act for the next woman, who is still alive.”
A spokesperson for Fréchette did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication on Tuesday.
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