My name is Heather Campbell Pope. I am a lawyer and the founding director of Dementia Justice Canada, a small nonprofit dedicated to advocating for the rights and dignity of people with dementia. A particular focus is criminal justice reform.

This is a fundraiser for an advocacy day on Parliament Hill calling for the criminalization of coercive control by adult children and others in relationships of trust and dependence with older victims.

By donating, you will help fund the advocacy day, where the Elder Justice Coalition--an ad hoc coalition of 15 organizations from across Canada--will be meeting with MPs, Senators and staff to discuss Bill C-16, which proposes a standalone coercive control offence limited to intimate partner relationships. We will be urging lawmakers to follow the example of jurisdictions such as England & Wales and Queensland, Australia, which have enacted broader coercive control offences that apply beyond intimate partners.

Thanks to in-kind support from coalition organizations and personal contributions from advocates, the original fundraising goal of $25,000 has been reduced. This GoFundMe now reflects only the remaining costs that are not otherwise covered, including travel for an advocate whose organization cannot fund it, Dementia Justice’s project coordination, and honouraria for participating coalition organizations.

Please note that donations to this GoFundMe are managed by Dementia Justice Canada, a federally incorporated nonprofit organization. It is not a registered charity and therefore cannot issue tax receipts.

Why this advocacy matters:

Under Bill C-16, if the person exerting control is the victim’s spouse, the coercive control offence would offer protection. However, if the abuser is the victim's son or daughter, it would not, because the offence is limited to intimate partner relationships. That matters because elder abuse often involves adult children, grandchildren, siblings, or caregivers who control money, housing, medical care, and access to friends and family.

Elder justice organizations are working to build a strong, united voice for older victims, to ensure their experiences are fully recognized and addressed in the law.

Elder Justice Coalition:

Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) is the first and oldest legal clinic in Canada with a specific mandate to provide a range of legal services to low-income older adults. Its legal services include individual and group client advice and representation, public legal education, community development and law reform activities.

Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council (AEAAC) is a province-wide network of professionals committed to addressing elder abuse and neglect. AEAAC supports prevention and intervention efforts by providing resources and education, and by strengthening Coordinated Community Response (CCR) teams across Alberta. Through these multidisciplinary teams and its Safe Spaces Initiative, AEAAC helps create safe, trusted environments where older adults feel valued and supported.

BC Association of Community Response Networks (BC CRN) is a provincial non-profit dedicated to fostering safe, inclusive communities where vulnerable adults are valued and protected. Through active coordination, advocacy, education, collaboration, and relationship building, it supports local community response networks to create awareness and prevention of adult abuse, neglect, and self-neglect.

Brainwell Institute is an independent think tank that elevates evidence to ignite change and revolutionize thinking about dementia and brain health.

Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health (CCSMH) focuses on supporting older adults’ mental health through knowledge translation (information, resources, professional development and clinical guidelines) and advocacy. Its mission is rooted in evidence-based approaches, compassionate advocacy, and the unwavering belief that every older adult deserves the best possible mental health care. The CCSMH is under the umbrella of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatrists.

CanAge is Canada’s national seniors’ advocacy organization, working to improve the lives of older adults through advocacy, policy, and community engagement.

Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA) builds awareness, support and capacity for a coordinated pan-Canadian approach to the prevention of elder abuse and neglect. It promotes the rights of older adults through knowledge mobilization, collaboration, policy reform and education.

Dementia Justice Canada is a small non-profit dedicated to advocating for the rights and dignity of people with dementia. A particular focus is criminal justice reform.

Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario (EAPO) is a charitable, non-profit organization, recognized for its leadership in elder abuse prevention, providing awareness raising educational forums, training multi-sectoral front-line service professionals, and creating tools/resources for all to better understand and appropriately respond when supporting older adults at-risk or experiencing increasingly complex issues of elder abuse.

HelpAge Canada is the only registered Canadian charity and international NGO focused solely on partnering with communities to improve the lives of older people in Canada and around the world.

International Longevity Centre Canada (ILC-Canada) is human rights based organization focused on older persons, created in 2015 and situated in Ottawa, Ontario. Its mission is to propose ideas and guidance for policies addressing population aging based on international and domestic research and practice with a view to bettering the lives of Canadians. It does this through a human rights lens, through knowledge development and exchange, recommendations of evidence-based polices, social mobilization, and networking.

National Institute on Ageing (NIA) improves the lives of older adults and the systems that support them by convening stakeholders, conducting research, advancing policy solutions and practice innovations, sharing information and shifting attitudes. Its vision is a Canada where older adults feel valued, included, supported and better prepared to age with confidence.

Prevent Elder Abuse Manitoba (PEAM) is a provincial network dedicated to raising awareness, fostering collaboration, and promoting strategies to prevent the abuse and neglect of older adults across Manitoba.

Seniors First BC is a 31-year old charitable, non-profit society that promotes the dignity of older adults, free from abuse of any kind. It provides information, support, legal advocacy, and referrals to older adults across British Columbia with issues affecting their well-being, as well as those who care for them.

Yukon Council on Aging is an organization whose vision is that all Yukon seniors (55+) can flourish and thrive as they age, and age in place for as long as possible. Its services include a home and yard maintenance program; providing information and assistance in applying for Pioneer Utility Grants (home heating); wills and estate planning; presentations on dementia; and more.

How will the funds be used?

$1,500 to support advocates' travel and accommodations in Ottawa.

$3,750 for Dementia Justice's project coordination, provided by the founding director (e.g., project management; communications; legal research; drafting materials).

$7,500 for honorarium to each Elder Justice Coalition organization for their participation ($500 each).

Any funds raised over $12,750 will support travel and accommodation expenses for elder justice advocates to attend the advocacy day or to fund other elder abuse legal advocacy.

Is Parliament currently considering a coercive control bill?

On December 9, 2025, the Minister of Justice introduced Bill C-16, which proposes to create a new offence that prohibits engaging in a pattern of coercive or controlling conduct toward an intimate partner.

When is the Advocacy Day?

February 4, 2026.

Is Dementia Justice a registered charity and will you get a tax receipt?

No. Dementia Justice Canada is a federally incorporated nonprofit organization. It is not a charity and cannot issue tax receipts.

Where can you read more about coercive control and elder abuse?

Please visit the Dementia Justice Canada webpage.

Thank you for your consideration.

Together, we can be a strong voice for elder abuse victims.