CFOJA's ‘Too True Crime’ Podcast Delivers Brutal Truth About Femicide in Canada

For the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Canadian Femicide Observatory of Justice and Accountability (CFOJA), has launched the ‘Too True Crime’ podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. CFOJA is a grassroots initiative dedicated to preventing femicide (sex- or gender-based killing of a woman or girl) and other forms of male violence against women and girls in Canada.

The new podcast spotlights the real stories of every woman and girl killed by femicide in Canada since 2020. This podcast is a solemn, undeniable record of at least 580 lives lost to femicide, demanding that Canada finally recognise femicide as the national crisis it is. The CFOJA will release additional episodes alongside new cases.

“The Too True Crime podcast directly confronts the normalisation of this violence, moving the conversation from entertainment to education and activism,” said Myrna Dawson, founder and director of the Canadian Femicide Observatory, and a professor of sociology at the University of Guelph. “Femicide is an escalating crisis, to make real change, Canadians must unite in demanding that the federal government recognise femicide.”

By leaning into the popularity of true crime podcasts, the podcast demonstrates the breadth of the issue, highlighting every woman or girl killed by femicide in Canada, a staggering 580 violent acts. Once every two days, a Canadian woman or girl is killed, most often by a man, because of her sex or gender. Where true crime podcasts can sensationalise a few cases of femicide, ‘Too True Crime’ tells every woman’s story, revealing the pervasive frequency of femicide across Canada.

Every person who lent their voice to record each podcast episode volunteered their time. Some episodes were recorded by those connected to the stories, including victims' families and even one victim who was assaulted by the same perpetrator as the woman in the episode.
“To literally be the voice and keep the memory of these women alive is so important in this ongoing battle for justice,” said Denise Halfyard, a voice actor who recorded an episode about her cousin, Tamara Chipman, who has been missing from the Highway of Tears since 2005. “These women are not just victims. They are mothers, daughters and friends. She matters. She is somebody.”

CFOJA is calling on Canadians to hear these women's stories and lend their voices by visiting TooTrueCrime.com to sign the petition, urging the Canadian federal government to officially recognise femicide and work towards the inclusion of femicide in the Criminal Code of Canada. This is the first step in preventing violence against women and girls.

Listeners can subscribe to the podcast, now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, to hear the devastating stories behind why we must all demand justice.