Quebec records four possible femicides in first weeks of 2026
Posted January 20, 2026 4:03 pm.
Last Updated January 21, 2026 12:41 pm.
Quebec has recorded four possible femicides since the start of 2026, a pace of more than one per week.
The first femicide occurred on New Year’s Day in the Montreal borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Thirty-one-year-old Tadjan’ah Desir was allegedly pushed from a third-floor balcony by her former partner, 31-year-old James Theramene.
Desir was taken to hospital but later died of her injuries.
Theramene has since been charged with manslaughter.
Manslaughter is defined as a homicide committed without intent, though there may have been an intention to cause harm. It carries no minimum sentence, except when committed with a firearm, in which case the minimum sentence is four years in prison.
Four days later, on Jan. 5, a 54-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her husband in the northern Quebec community of Puvirnituq. Police say there was a known history of domestic violence. The man was later found dead in what is believed to be a murder-suicide.
On Jan. 13 in Quebec City, the death of 44-year-old Susana Rocha Cruz was confirmed as a homicide after her body was recovered from the St. Lawrence River nearly a week after she was reported missing.
Abraham Gonzales Leon, 43, of Laval, was charged Tuesday at the Quebec City courthouse with the second-degree murder of Rocha Cruz.
Most recently, on Jan. 18, Véronic Champagne, a 40-year-old woman, died in hospital after being seriously injured during an argument with a man at a residence in Rougemont, in the Montérégie region.
Advocates argue these tragedies could have been prevented and that stronger protections may have stopped the violence from escalating to femicide.
“We need to be able to act when a person is asking for help,” said Claudine Thibaudeau, a clinical coordinator for SOS Violence Conjugale, reacting to the four femicides reported in Quebec less than three weeks into the year.
“We need to stop finding excuses and we need to start being a responsible society that keeps abusers accountable and protects their victims,” she said.
Kaitlin Geiger-Bardswich, director of communications for Women’s Shelters Canada, pointed out that in two of the four cases, the women were thinking about or planning to leave their relationships.
“And that is the most dangerous time for a woman,” she said.
Women’s Shelters Canada says the pace of femicides has also increased nationwide, from roughly one every six days before the pandemic to about one every five days today.
Across Quebec, the Sûreté du Québec reports a record 12,822 domestic violence cases were opened in 2024, up from roughly 4,000 a decade ago. At SOS Violence Conjugale, calls for help have also surged, rising from 25,000 requests in 2016 to 60,000 last year.
In a statement to CityNews, Caroline Proulx, the minister responsible for women, said the government is responding to rising demand by expanding services.
Proulx also said that 13 new shelters are already open, 19 more are in development, and funding for community organizations has increased by nearly 98 per cent since 2017, as part of close to $1 billion invested in prevention and victim support.
In a press release Tuesday, Québec solidaire MNA Ruba Ghazal proposed three measures to prevent domestic violence and is calling on the CAQ government to put them in place to prevent femicides.
“Just as we must give our justice system the resources to prevent crimes, we must also give women the tools to protect themselves. Time is running out. The next victim is still alive,” Ghazal said.
She proposed making assessments mandatory for repeat offenders, increasing police resources specializing in domestic violence, and adopting a Gabrielle-Renaud law that would allow women and their relatives to access the criminal records of violent men.
“We definitely lack shelter spaces. Right now, if we look at our statistics from last year, it’s less than 50 per cent of the time that we were able to find availability in shelters for victims who wanted to leave a violent partner,” Thibaudeau said.
She added that in some months the figure drops to around 30 per cent. “Those numbers are horrible,” she said.
Geiger-Bardswich said survivors of intimate partner violence want to see more legislation and legal remedies to help those in need.
“They want to be able to say, you know, what my partner is doing is illegal,” she said.
Geiger-Bardswich also urged anyone in Quebec who feels they need help to visit ShelterSafe, which helps people find available shelters near them.
If you need help, reach out. Call SOS violence conjugale 24/7 at 1-800-363-9010.
If you fear you may become violent towards your partner, call PRO-GAM for an appointment at 514-270-8462.
