VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier David Eby said his government was not done yet advocating for the family of Kelowna woman Bailey McCourt, whose ex-husband was charged with murdering her hours after he was released on bail in July.
While federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser said Monday that B.C. government lobbying on the McCourt case was reflected in several elements of Canada’s new bail reform legislation, Eby acknowledged at a joint press conference on the new law that it did not include everything that the family or he wanted.
“We continue to advocate for the reforms the family is asking for, related to a presumption around first-degree murder,” Eby said. “We raised that with the minister today.”
Eby said he was planning to meet with McCourt’s family later Monday. The family has sometimes been critical of Eby’s government in the wake of McCourt being beaten to death in a parking lot in broad daylight, and on Monday a representative accused the NDP of paying “lip service” to their concerns.
“I share their impatience entirely, and I’m glad that we are addressing some of the issues that came out of that case, that horrific attack that took place,” Eby said.
“It’s not everything that they want yet. It’s not everything I want yet. So we will continue to work with the federal government on this.”
The legislation toughens sentences for several crimes and expands the burden of proof for bail from the prosecution to the accused, in a principle known as reverse onus.
Fraser said that his government would continue to receive feedback from families impacted by crime, adding that his government planned to table further legislation around intimate-partner violence by the end of the year.
“It will include certain changes around presumptions of first-degree murder,” Fraser said. “The exact terms of the provision are under development now, and we expect over the weeks to come, before the legislation is tabled, that we will finalize what that specific provision will take.”
But Fraser said he was hesitant to make specific promises about the content of that bill, adding that Ottawa remained in discussion with Eby and B.C.’s attorney general, Niki Sharma.
The provincial opposition B.C. Conservatives meanwhile called on Eby to support Bill C-225, a private member’s bill tabled by federal Conservative MP Frank Caputo, which would classify killing an intimate partner as first-degree murder regardless of whether it involved planning.
The bill is known as Bailey’s Law in honour of McCourt.
A news release issued by the BC Conservatives quoted Debbie Henderson, who has represented the McCourt family, as saying they were “extremely disappointed” that the NDP was not standing behind Bill C-225.
“Our family has lived the consequences of a system that fails to protect victims, and we will not settle for lip service from political leaders,” she was quoted as saying.
James Plover is accused of second-degree murder in McCourt’s killing. Plover had been convicted of choking someone and freed on $500 bail just hours before the alleged attack on his estranged wife.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2025.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
