Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife’s private member’s bill, aimed at bringing more accountability and transparency to sexual assault cases, did not pass second reading in the Ontario legislature. With multiple Conservative MPPs voting against it, the motion ultimately lost 41 to 58. The bill is called “Lydia’s Law,” named after a woman from Waterloo Region who reached out to Fife with concerns about the long and painful court process she experienced after reporting a sexual assault. Fife says that last year alone, 1,639 sexual assault cases were withdrawn or stayed in Ontario. Lydia’s Law called on the government to track delays and improve access to supports. Following the vote, Fife released a social media video, saying it’s critical to collect data to help identify the weaknesses that exist in the system. Fife also said in spite of this setback, her efforts will continue. “My promise to survivors and to advocates is that we’re not going to give up, we are going to get this done, and we are going to shame this government into acting,” Fife said. Fife says that more than 100 supporters of Lydia’s Law, including Lydia herself, were at Queen’s Park this week to show their support for the bill. Fife first introduced Lydia’s Law in 2024, and then re-introduced it in early May 2026, following the trial of Jeffrey Sloka, the former Kitchener neurologist who was acquitted of 48 counts of sexual assault.
