Killing of Kelowna woman brings national change

The family of a slain Kelowna woman is pushing for new laws targeting intimate partner violence, after she was allegedly murdered by her estranged husband.

Police found Bailey McCourt fatally injured in a hammer attack in a parking lot on July 4. The next day, James Plover was arrested and charged with her murder.

The alleged attack came just hours after, and only four kilometres from the court where Plover was convicted in an unrelated 2024 assault case, in which a judge found him guilty of strangling and uttering threats. The identities of the victims from that case are protected under a publication ban.

Plover was initially charged with second-degree murder, but it was later upgraded to first-degree. None of the allegations made against Plover have been proven in court.

The case has led McCourt’s family and advocates to push Ottawa to make justice reforms that would strengthen laws meant to protect victims of intimate partner violence.

Bill C-225, or “Bailey’s Law,” is a Conservative private members’ bill named after McCourt. The Act would amend the Criminal Code, introducing tougher laws relating to intimate partner violence, such as making the killing of an intimate partner an automatic first-degree murder charge.

The Bill, which unanimously passed the second reading in the House of Commons, was sponsored by Frank Caputo, a Conservative MP for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC.

McCourt’s aunt, Debbie Henderson, petitioned the House of Commons to pass the Bill.

She said, “There’s no need to wait. The next person could be you or one of your family members. And we don’t want to see any other families go through the horrors that we’ve gone through.”

The federal government introduced the “Protecting Victims Act” in December — proposed legislation that would introduce significant reforms to the Criminal Code and other pieces of legislation meant to bolster protections for survivors of gender and sexual based violence and child exploitation.