Reporting from CBC News last week shows that the number of domestic violence cases opened by police forces across the province have significantly increased since 2015, roughly tripling.

However, police and other groups have attributed part of the increase in case numbers to better awareness and prevention across the province, rather than solely an increase in violence.

“I believe more people feel comfortable reporting those situations,” said Lt. Caroline Girard of the Sûreté du Québec’s intimate partner violence division. The SQ opened 4,266 domestic violence cases in 2015, compared to 12,822 in 2024.

Several police forces pointed out that by dedicating officers specifically to these kinds of cases, their number of interventions increased significantly over the years.

“In recent years, we have collectively succeeded in helping society to better understand what domestic violence is, to recognize it and to know that it has no place in society,” said Claudine Thibaudeau, spokesperson for victim’s group SOS violence conjugale. The group saw a massive increase in calls in recent years, from 25,000 in 2018 to more than 60,000 last year and also saw increasing demand for housing for victims.

Fréchette, Draiville running for CAQ leadership

As of Jan. 26, there are two candidates vying for the leadership of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party, following Premier François Legault’s resignation earlier this month.

Environment Minister Bernard Drainville was the first to announce his candidacy in a video uploaded to social media on Saturday. Drainville, a former journalist and radio host, served as Parti-Québécois cabinet minister in Pauline Marois’ government, tabling the controversial “Charter of values”. He even ran for the leadership of the PQ following Marois’ departure, eventually withdrawing to support eventual winner Pierre Karl Péladeau.

Energy and Economy Minister Christine Fréchette threw her hat into the ring on Sunday at a press conference in her hometown of Trois-Rivières, the Canadian Press Reported. She has the support of several CAQ ministers, including Minister for the Outaouais Mathieu Lacombe. She is also a former Pequist, serving in former leader Jean-François Lisée’s office when he was minister of international relations.

Both will have to step down from their cabinet posts while they compete for the top seat in their party. The deadline to enter the CAQ leadership race is Feb. 21.

Once chosen at the CAQ’s convention in April, the winner of the leadership race will serve the remainder of Legault’s term as premier, before the elections scheduled for no later than this October.

CEGEPs turning away students for lack of space

The Journal de Montréal reports that CEGEPs across the province are turning away students at high rates due to lack of space.

A group of CEGEPs surveyed by the paper turned away 4,451 students in the last two years.

The report notes that the situation is particularly critical for the Cégep de l’Outaouais in Gatineau, the only French-language institution serving a region the size of Belgium, which has turned away 1,400 applicants in two years, twice the usual number.

Steve Brabant, the school’s director, said that while the lack of space was felt across all programs, it was especially troubling for their nursing program, as they are only able to graduate around 40 to 50 students per year at a time of a dire shortage in the region.

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