On February 4, 2026, advocates from across Canada will gather on Parliament Hill for a national lobby day led by the Elder Justice Coalition. The day, titled Aging on the Hill, focuses on one urgent issue: the need for stronger legal protection against coercive control targeting older adults.
And here at BC CRN, we’re proud to stand alongside organizations from across the country in support of this advocacy effort. BC CRN is honoured to be represented at Lobby Day in Ottawa by Dr. Gloria Gutman, Board member and internationally recognized gerontologist and advocate for older adults.
The goal is clear, and that’s to ensure that older adults benefit from the same protection against coercive control as anyone else, no matter who is causing harm.
What Is Coercive Control?
Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour that’s used to dominate, isolate, intimidate, or manipulate another person. It often unfolds quietly and escalates over time.
For older adults, coercive control can look like:
- Having money withheld or controlled
- Having medications restricted or mismanaged
- Being isolated from friends, family, or community activities
- Being threatened, monitored, or spoken to with constant humiliation
- Losing access to transportation, mobility aids, or communication tools
These actions strip away autonomy and dignity, while creating fear and dependence, and ultimately, they are forms of abuse, even when no physical violence is visible.
Where the Law Falls Short
Bill C-16 proposes to create a standalone criminal offence for coercive control, and that is an important step forward. But the problem is whom the law currently protects. As drafted, Bill C-16 applies only to intimate partner relationships, which leaves many older adults unprotected.
Elder abuse most often occurs within families or caregiving relationships. Adult children, grandchildren, siblings, and informal caregivers are frequently the ones exerting control over finances, housing, health care, and social contact.
When coercive control comes from these relationships, the proposed law, as it is currently written, would not apply. And that gap has real consequences. A senior experiencing intimidation or isolation by an adult child would have fewer legal protections than someone experiencing the same behaviour from their spouse. This creates unequal protection under the law and leaves many older adults at continued risk.
The Elder Justice Coalition has documented this gap clearly, including through lived-experience examples that show how coercive control can devastate an older person’s safety and independence when the abuser is not an intimate partner.
Why Expansion Matters
Expanding the coercive control offence to include family members and informal caregivers would better reflect the realities of elder abuse in Canada.
Data consistently shows that:
- Family violence against seniors has risen sharply in recent years
- Adult children are the most common perpetrators when older women are harmed by a family member
- Financial and emotional abuse are often early warning signs before situations escalate into serious harm
A broader offence could help interrupt abuse earlier, and it would also send a clear message that coercive control is unacceptable in any relationship.
Aging on the Hill: What Advocates Are Calling For
The Elder Justice Coalition’s February 4 lobby day focuses on three priorities, including:
1) Expanding Coercive Control Legislation to Include Older Adults
Advocates are asking Parliament to amend Bill C-16, so the offence applies beyond intimate partners, including relatives and informal caregivers who use coercive tactics to control older adults. The aim is to protect autonomy, safety, and dignity when control becomes abuse.
2) Supporting the Age With Rights Global Rally
From February 1-7, 2026, organizations worldwide are participating in the Age With Rights Global Rally – a campaign that calls for a United Nations convention on the rights of older persons.
Such a convention would help address the systemic gaps that leave older adults vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and discrimination, and it would also elevate older adults’ voices in international human rights law.
3) Investing in Community-Based Seniors Services
Community-Based Seniors Services (CBSS) play a critical role when it comes to prevention.
These local programs support older adults through:
- Transportation assistance
- Information and referral services
- Caregiver education and support
- Meal delivery and nutrition programs
- Social connection and exercise groups
What’s more, these kinds of services help older adults stay connected, informed, and supported, while helping to reduce isolation and recognize problems early. But despite their impact, these services are chronically underfunded across Canada.
In any case, strengthening CBSS is a practical way to help prevent coercive control before it escalates.
Why BC CRN Is Supporting This Advocacy
Our work is grounded in prevention, collaboration, and community leadership.
Across British Columbia, Community Response Networks bring together neighbours, service providers, health professionals, financial institutions, and law enforcement to address adult abuse before it becomes a crisis.
All things considered, what we see on the ground aligns closely with the concerns raised by the Elder Justice Coalition.
Coercive control is often subtle. It often happens behind closed doors. And it often involves family members or caregivers rather than intimate partners.
And when our laws do not reflect that reality, older adults can fall through the cracks.
But by supporting Aging on the Hill, BC CRN is reinforcing what communities already know: Protecting older adults requires laws, services, and systems that match real-world experiences.
Why This Moment Matters
Older adults’ voices are too often missing from policy decisions that affect their lives, as things like ageism, isolation, and fear of retaliation all contribute to silence.
Advocacy efforts like Aging on the Hill help bring those voices forward. They help lawmakers understand that coercive control is not limited to romantic relationships, and they show why community-based prevention and legal protections must work together.
Stronger laws alone are not enough. Strong communities are essential, too. Because when legislation, services, and community networks align, older adults are more likely to remain safe, connected, and in control of their own lives.
How You Can Support This Work
Here at BC CRN, we encourage Members of Parliament in British Columbia, Community Response Networks, and affiliate organizations to support the Elder Justice Coalition’s advocacy.
Some of the ways this can be done include:
- Learning about coercive control and how it affects older adults
- Sharing information about Aging on the Hill within your networks
- Engaging with your local MP about expanding protections in Bill C-16
- Advocating for sustainable funding for Community-Based Seniors Services
In any case, preventing abuse is a shared responsibility, and when communities speak together, policy can change. Aging on the Hill is one step toward a future where older adults’ rights, safety, and dignity are fully recognized – by law and by the communities around them.
