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Domestic Violence in Canadian Families: We Can Do Better – But Not This Way

December 10, 2025 | Michael Cochrane

Something is off.

I have been thinking about domestic violence and asking myself this question:  As a society, are we making any progress in dealing with this plague? My approach to searching for an answer has been informed primarily by my 45 years in private practice, (where my clients have been both perpetrators and victims of such violence), and also by the years I spent as Senior Counsel in Policy Development with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, where I worked on, among other things, the creation of the Family Responsibility Office (FRO), the passage of the Family Law Act, amendments to the Children’s Law Reform Act, and the introduction of mediation to family law.

So, how are we doing?

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