Canada’s Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing mounting backlash after critics warned that a little-noticed piece of legislation could dramatically expand state power inside private homes.
The proposed law, Bill C-16, titled the “Protecting Victims Act,” would create a new Criminal Code offense targeting patterns of “coercive or controlling conduct” within relationships.
But opponents say the sweeping language risks turning ordinary family interactions into potential criminal investigations.
Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis sounded the alarm in a public warning to Canadians.
“Do you think the government should criminalize everyday interactions in your home with your family?” Lewis wrote on X.
“If not, you should read Bill C-16.
“The bill creates new offences (Criminal Code Section 264.01), which are deeply concerning for normal, loving family interactions, based on a ‘pattern of coercive or controlling conduct,’ even when no violence, threats, or illegal acts occur.”
She continued:
“It criminalizes a pattern of otherwise lawful and often common behaviour that may later be perceived as threatening by an intimate partner.
“That means ordinary family interactions could be re-interpreted as criminal after the fact.”
Lewis pointed to routine household situations that could fall under scrutiny, including:
• Asking a spouse where they are after they said they’d be home
• Expressing concern about excessive drinking
• Disagreeing about finances or spending
• Asking a partner not to give children junk food
• Raising concerns about time away from family
• Setting household boundaries or expectations
“These are not crimes,” Lewis warned.
“They are part of marriage, parenting, and shared responsibility.
“This does not diminish the seriousness of coercive control in genuinely abusive relationships.
“But criminal law should target clear abuse and violence, which are already addressed in law.
“Bill C-16, as written, opens the door to police intervention in the homes of ordinary families.”
A Pattern of Expanding State Power
Bill C-16 does not stand alone, however.
It follows a broader legislative pattern under the Liberal government that has steadily expanded state authority over speech, belief, and private conduct.
Under Bill C-9, the government seeks to remove long-standing religious protections in hate-speech law, while citing Bible passages as examples of potentially prosecutable expression.
Earlier legislation, Bill C-4, banned so-called “conversion therapy” using definitions so broad that ordinary pastoral counseling or family conversations about sexuality could fall within its scope.
Despite repeated calls from Conservative MPs to narrow the wording, Liberals refused.
The result is a growing legal framework where definitions remain intentionally expansive, allowing future governments, regulators, or courts to apply them far beyond their stated purpose.
Trust in Government Interpretation Has Collapsed
Supporters of the legislation insist legal standards like “reasonableness” would prevent abuse of the law.
However, after nearly a decade of escalating speech regulation and ideological enforcement, many Canadians no longer trust the Liberal government to define what is “reasonable.”
The Liberal approach follows a familiar playbook:
- Present laws as protecting victims
- Define terms broadly
- Dismiss objections as misinformation or extremism
- Expand enforcement over time
Meanwhile, Canada has seen a surge in Christian churches being vandalized or burned across the country.
Yet, despite the surge, federal responses have focused primarily on new initiatives targeting Islamophobia, not anti-Christian violence.
Against that backdrop, legislation granting the state new authority inside the home raises profound civil-liberty concerns.
Criminal Law Moving Into the Family Living Room
Canadian criminal law has historically targeted clear abuse, violence, and threats, conduct already fully covered by existing statutes.
Bill C-16 crosses a new line by allowing patterns of lawful behavior to be judged criminal after relationships deteriorate.
That shift transforms marital disagreements, parenting decisions, and household expectations into matters that could involve police, prosecutors, and courts.
For many Canadians, the concern is no longer theoretical.
It is the fear that ordinary family life could become subject to state surveillance and punishment under ever-expanding legal definitions.
A Defining Test for Canadian Freedom
The Liberal government presents Bill C-16 as protection for the vulnerable.
But history shows that laws written broadly in the name of safety are often enforced broadly in practice.
What is at stake is not only one bill, but the boundary between private family life and government power.
If that boundary disappears, the consequences will reach far beyond Parliament, into homes, marriages, and the daily lives of ordinary Canadians.
And once the state claims authority there, it rarely gives it back.
READ MORE – Canadian Government Euthanizes Disabled Man Because He’s ‘Lonely’
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.