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It’s been 19 years since Paula Gallant — a new mother, loving sister and elementary school teacher — was murdered by her husband.
Her sisters have never let her name be forgotten, and as fatal instances of intimate partner violence continue to rise in Nova Scotia, the family is reflecting on their personal fight for change.“If it can happen to her, it can happen to any woman, and that message needs to be repeated over and over again,” said Lynn Gallant-Blackburn, Paula’s sister.Since October 2024, five women have been killed in the province by a male partner. In one case on New Year’s Eve in Halifax, the woman’s father was killed as well. All five incidents were murder-suicides.These homicides, which have shattered families and left communities reeling, come mere months after the legislature adopted a bill in September declaring domestic violence an epidemic. Gallant was killed in December 2005. It took more than four years for her husband, Jason MacRae, to confess to the crime.
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He was sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder in March 2011. According to an agreed statement of facts, Gallant had been strangled after a fight over MacRae’s gambling debt.“It took almost four and a half years to get a conviction. Since that time, I’ve continued to not only advocate for Paula, but to advocate for all women and girls living with men’s violence,” said Gallant-Blackburn.“I never wanted Paula to be remembered as the school teacher that was left in the trunk of her car, and we worked really hard since that time to let people know she was so much more than that small event that took her life.” However, nearly two decades later, Gallant-Blackburn says the epidemic of gender-based violence has only grown.“I don’t know why Nova Scotia continues to have the worst rates in the country, but it’s not something I’m proud of,” she said.
“I think our premier, our minister of justice, our minister of education, our minister of health, need to form a roundtable with experts in the field of men’s violence against women.”She too is joining the chorus of voices calling for an action plan and commitment to funding for resources.
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In an open letter sent this week, more than a dozen gender-based violence groups called on Premier Tim Houston and two ministers to take urgent action.“We are not seeing any tangible commitments to epidemic-level funding — massive increases in funding,” said advocate Liz LeClair, who signed the letter.“Transition houses, sexual assault centres, legal services, victim services in this province need a massive overhaul.”Attorney General and Justice Minister Becky Druhan has committed to the meeting.‘It rocks my soul’For Gallant’s family, each incident of intimate partner violence brings back terrible memories of the trauma because they know all too well the pain it leaves behind. “It rocks my soul because I know what their loved ones are feeling,” said Gallant-Blackburn.To keep her sister’s legacy alive, Gallant-Blackburn published a book last November to share her story and hopefully help others.She hopes the other families affected by intimate partner violence will find the same strength.“Tell your loved one’s story, don’t let them be forgotten. Don’t let them become a statistic.”
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