Family of mother killed in Kelowna, B.C., calls for changes to justice system in letter to PM

Premier David Eby said he delivered a letter from the family of Bailey McCourt to Prime Minister Mark Carney, outlining several policy recommendations related to domestic violence in Canada.

James Edward Plover has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of McCourt, who was initially identified by Kelowna RCMP as Bailey Plover earlier this month. Police described the daylight attack in a parking lot, which also left another person with serious injuries, as a "highly visible and tragic event."

In a letter obtained by CBC News, McCourt's family described the mother of two as a "vibrant, kind, and deeply-loved woman whose life was tragically cut short by an act of preventable violence." 

McCourt's family is now making four key recommendations to the federal government to prevent future deaths: 

• To establish a domestic violence offender registry. 
• Reform bail policy for high-risk domestic offenders.
• Mandate first-degree murder charges in intimate partner homicide.
• Require recognition of lethality risk indicators in bail hearings.

Eby said he gave the letter from McCourt's father and stepmother to Prime Minister Carney on Tuesday.

"There's a special place in hell for men that murder and attack their spouses or girlfriends," Eby said. "Ensuring that they stay behind bars and are not released to complete a cycle of violence is a priority for us." 

While in Ontario for a summit discussing trade talks, crime, and health care, with provincial and territorial leaders, Eby said when Carney dropped in to deliver a trade briefing on Tuesday, he "confirmed that he's on side" with tackling domestic concerns as well. 

On Wednesday, Eby said he has yet to receive an update from the prime minister regarding the letter, adding, "I certainly do hope to see a response in the form of criminal justice reform in the fall, particularly." 

The leaders entered their final day of talks on Wednesday, calling on Carney to make good on his promise to introduce legislation in the fall sitting of Parliament that will make it harder for repeat violent offenders to get bail.

Shane McCourt, Bailey's father, told CBC News that the justice system was "extremely flawed," and he believed that the government was being too lax on violent offenders.

He said the family's letter aimed to create changes for anyone at risk.

"This system failed her," McCourt said of his slain daughter. "She reached out many times, and our system, the laws that are out there now, failed to protect her.

"And now our family's paying the price."

The father thanked everyone who had sent his family messages of support after the public attack in a Kelowna parking lot.

"It hurts me to my soul to think of the last few seconds of my daughter's life ... how scared she would have been," he added.

Accused due in court in September

CBC News has been unable to confirm the current nature of the relationship between Plover and McCourt.

The B.C. Prosecution Service previously confirmed Plover was convicted of three counts of uttering threats, and one count of assault by strangling on the same day as the attack. Court documents indicated the case concerned intimate partner violence.

According to the prosecution service, Plover was under a bail order, with a $500 cash deposit, and "extensive protective conditions," on the day of the attack.

Plover is in custody and due in court again on Sept. 16 and will be sentenced on his assault conviction later that month.

"There is an opportunity, an obligation, to make meaningful, life-saving changes," the letter by Bailey McCourt's family reads. "We owe it to Bailey, and to every woman whose life may be in danger today, to act decisively and without delay."