On anniversary of mass shooting, N.S. justice minister apologizes for saying domestic violence not epidemic

Premier Tim Houston said he wanted to "set the record straight" about his and his government's posi‐ tion on domestic violence, hours after Nova Scotia Justice Minister Brad Johns apologized for saying he doesn't think domestic vio‐ lence is an epidemic.

"The minister has apolo‐ gized for his comments and we'll chat with him, but I want Nova Scotians to know that we understand how seri‐ ous the issue is and it's a pri‐ ority of ours to address it," Houston told CBC News at an event in New Glasgow on Thursday night.

"So the minister has apol‐ ogized for his comments, he was wrong in his comments and I'm trying to set the record straight on how I per‐ sonally feel and how our gov‐ ernment feels."

Provincial opposition lead‐ ers had called for Johns to re‐ sign. Houston did not directly answer a question at the Thursday evening event ask‐ ing whether he stood by Johns and would keep him in cabinet as justice minister.

He did say survivors of in‐ timate partner violence will be listened to and respected if they choose to come for‐ ward.

Comments made on an‐ niversary of shooting ram‐ page

Thursday marked the fourth anniversary of a dead‐ ly shooting rampage that claimed the lives of 22 Nova Scotians. Earlier in the day, Johns had said he agrees with some - but not all - of the recommendations made by the joint federal and provincial inquiry that exam‐ ined the circumstances that led a gunman to target his neighbours, acquaintances and strangers, including a pregnant woman and an RCMP officer, in several rural communities on April 18 and 19, 2020.

The Mass Casualty Com‐ mission's final report, re‐ leased in March of last year, called for sweeping changes to end gender-based vio‐ lence, which it called an epi‐ demic. The commission found the violence in Por‐ tapique, N.S., began with a brutal assault on the gun‐ man's spouse and that he had a long history of vio‐ lence.

"An [epidemic], you're seeing it everywhere all the time, I don't think that's the case," Johns told reporters following a cabinet meeting in downtown Halifax.

Minister says comments 'were wrong and have caused pain'

The minister said he can respect that service organiza‐ tions would disagree with him, but added he thinks there are bigger issues than domestic violence

"We have issues around guns, we have issues around drugs. We have issues. There's a lot of issues. Vio‐ lence in general," Johns said.

A few hours later, a Justice Department spokesperson released a statement attrib‐ uted to Johns acknowledging the minister "made commen‐ ts that were wrong and have caused pain."

Issue taken 'very seri‐ ously'

"The pervasiveness of do‐ mestic violence and the harm it causes in our communities is not something that should ever be minimized and I am truly sorry that my words did so. This government, my de‐ partment and I agree that domestic violence is an epi‐ demic," Johns said in a state‐ ment.

Following Johns's initial comments to reporters, Pre‐ mier Tim Houston appeared via video conference and clarified his government's stance on domestic violence.

"As the Mass Casualty Commission included in their report, domestic violence is an epidemic in Nova Scotia and in Canada, and the com‐ mission was very clear it played a role in the tragedy that occurred 2020, and we will do everything we can to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again."

Houston also pointed to $7 million his government has committed to 16 commu‐ nity-based organizations that work to prevent genderbased violence.

"This is just the beginning.

We will continue to work with our partners in the federal government to do more," Houston said.

'Statistics don't lie' Houston said he planned to talk with Johns to see "what led to those commen‐ ts."

In a post to its Instagram page on Thursday, Adsum for Women and Children said it was "shocked and angered" by the minister's initial com‐ ments.

The organization, which operates shelters in the Hali‐ fax area, said it sees cases of domestic abuse every day. In the first two weeks of April, there were 18 calls for its program that helps women experiencing domestic vio‐ lence.

"We know that it might be easy for the minister to dis‐ miss the experience of orga‐ nizations like ours, but statis‐ tics don't lie," the group said, and then followed it up with data:

Nova Scotia rates of police-reported domestic vio‐ lence remains higher than the national rate. Thirty-five women were killed by their intimate partner in Nova Scotia between 2002 and 2021. In 2021, 86 per cent (750) of domestic violence files designated as high risk for fatality involved female victims.

"That last stat is particu‐ larly alarming when you un‐ derstand that statistics from the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women show that less than two per cent of intimate part‐ ner violence incidents in No‐ va Scotia are reported to police, or become domestic violence files.'"

WATCH | Antigonish Women's Resource Centre reacts to minister's com‐ ments

Anita Stewart, executive director of the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association, said she found the justice minister's earlier comments came from a place of being 'ill-informed and misguided.'

Stewart said she would in‐ vite Johns to visit the centre in Antigonish to learn the sta‐ tistics and become educated.

"I honestly can't believe that someone in his place and in his position as a jus‐ tice minister would make those comments," Stewart said in an interview with CBC News.

Opposition leaders call for resignation

Flags were at half-mast around the province on Wednesday for the anniver‐ sary of the mass shooting.

Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said Johns should face repercus‐ sions for the domestic vio‐ lence comment that he de‐ scribed as "pretty dis‐ gusting."

"An apology isn't enough. I think if we have a minister of justice that doesn't think that domestic violence and gen‐ der-based violence is a major concern in this province, he should resign or be removed from that post," Churchill said.

Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender agreed that

Johns should resign.

"For the minister of justice who is in charge, in many ways, of implementing [rec‐ ommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission], to deny the notion that [the domestic violence] epidemic exists says that he is not fit to lead that department any‐ more," Chender said.

Chender said she was glad to see the premier vali‐ date the work of the commis‐ sion, but that it doesn't mini‐ mize the minister's words.

The statement from Johns sought to reassure survivors of domestic violence they would be supported and "treated respectfully."

WATCH | What a public inquiry revealed about the Nova Scotia mass shooting

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