NAWL welcomes tabling of regulations necessary to implement protections for women from intimate partner gun violence 

More action needed for government to deliver concrete results to end gender-based violence and femicides  

Anishinaabe Territory/OTTAWA, December 5th, 2025 – On the eve of the 36th anniversary of the Polytechnique antifeminist mass shooting, the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL) welcomes the tabling in the House of Commons of proposed regulations to operationalize an important measure adopted into former Bill C-21, nearly two years ago. This new measure will ensure that a person who is subject to a protection order is not eligible to hold a firearms license; consequently, if a person becomes subject to a protection order, their license will be automatically revoked. Additionally, anyone who has been convicted of an offence involving intimate partner violence or family violence will be ineligible to hold a firearms license.  

When adopted after the mandatory waiting period, the regulations will support the protection of women’s safety at a time of heightened vulnerability (separation) when protection orders may be sought. Available data shows that in the last two years during which this measure was not operational, at least 11 women and girls were killed by intimate partner gun violence (real numbers are likely much higher).  

Weakening of the law needs to be addressed  

The tabled regulations define “protection order” as “civil order made … in the interests of the safety or security of a person”. This definition excludes orders that are not civil in nature, such as peace bonds made in the context of domestic violence. NAWL has denounced this weakening of the democratically adopted provision, which violates the wording and spirit of the bill and leaves vulnerable women and children at risk. NAWL also opposes the government’s interpretation that people who are convicted of domestic violence offences are ineligible to hold a firearms license only if their conviction was entered after April 2025.  

“The law must be interpreted and applied to its fullest extent. As such, we acknowledge the government’s commitment to modify the regulations to cover all protection orders, including peace bonds, rather than only civil orders, which will ensure that more women and children are protected from intimate partner gun violence. In the coming weeks, NAWL will continue to engage with the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, and with government officials to try to ensure that the regulations and the government’s stated interpretation of the provision reflect the spirit and intent of the law”, said Suzanne Zaccour, Director of Legal Affairs for the National Association of Women and the Law.  

Ongoing advocacy to keep women safe  

Progress on the operationalization of this measure was made possible through tireless advocacy by NAWL, PolySeSouvient, and other advocates. NAWL has been calling for the protection order measure to be brought into force since the adoption of former Bill C-21 in December 2023.  

Additionally, NAWL continues to advocate for the government to deliver on its promises regarding measures that are essential to women’s and communities’ safety, including: 

• Closing loopholes that allow gun owners to access large-capacity magazines, which increase the death toll of mass shootings; 

• Addressing the exclusion of the SKS from the currently planned buyback program for assault-style firearms; 

• Implementing a rigorous preauthorization process so new firearm models can only come on the market after they have been examined and classified by the RCMP.  

“Repeated delays, broken promises and the weakening of the law on this file put women at risk. The government must work with women’s rights groups to ensure that the repeatedly promised gun-control measures result in concrete changes for women’s safety on the ground. Tabling the regulations is a first step, but we will remain vigilant to ensure they are corrected and come into force as soon as possible.” – Suzanne Zaccour, Director of Legal Affairs, National Association of Women and the Law