OTTAWA — A Conservative member of Parliament is calling for an emergency meeting to launch a study on violence against women.

Michelle Ferreri has written a letter to fellow MPs on the House of Commons status of women committee requesting to
immediately recall members for the study.

This comes after two witnesses invited to testify on their personal experience with domestic violence tearfully stormed out of a committee hearing last month that devolved into political bickering.

One of the witnesses demanded an apology from a Liberal MP who put a halt to a planned discussion about violence against women in favour of debate about abortion rights.

Anita Vandenbeld later said in a statement that she deeply regrets the “distress that this meeting caused the witnesses.”

Ferreri says committee members should be “ashamed” that they were unable to provide a safe space for the witnesses to share their stories.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2024.

The Canadian Press