Seek and ye shall find.

Instead of referring to honor killing like it is a recurring bedbug infestation, how about we treat it like we do other killing? In other words, put the 'murderers' who 'commit' 'honor killings' into 'the slammer' and 'throw away the key'. I'll bet the immigrants who came here to get away from such barbaric practices would think it's a good idea - especially the ones whose lives could be spared as a result. Newspapers could also stop putting the phrase 'honor killing' in quotation marks as though it's a fabricated term that they reluctantly use for the sake of people who don't understand the cultural nuances of the practice.

In July, Ambrose hinted that the Conservatives wanted to draw more attention to the growing issue and were looking at making honour killings a separate indictable offence under the Criminal Code. A Justice Department official quickly refuted the claim, though.

If by "draw more attention to the growing issue" you mean "stamp out the practice of murdering your own family members", then go to it!  As a psychiatrist in the story goes on to say,  “Honour killings should be treated as first-degree murder,”  He seems to get a little loopy after that, though:

“The public should be aware of the sensitivity and we should recognize it as an honour-based crime, but there should be no separate law.”

I agree, there should be no separate law. But what does it mean for the public to be "aware of the sensitivity"? Does he mean that the people who commit honor killings are sensitive about admitting that it's connected to their culture or religion?

Muhammad said the issue is not necessarily cultural, but another example of domestic violence. If it were made a separate offence, it would make it easier for defendants to argue that they themselves are victims of a “cultural trend,” wrongly paving the way for more lenient sentences, he said. It may also perpetuate stereotypes that honour killings only occur in certain cultures or religions.
“We should not be focusing on any particular group or culture,” he said. “Honour killings can happen to anybody in Canada.”

 If this guy studies honour killings, he must not study them too closely. I wonder if he has noticed any commonalities in these random acts which occur in every "group" and "culture" in Canada? I can't wait for the government leaflets which will be dutifully distributed to ALL Canadians, urging us ALL not to kill our daughters if they, for example, decide to date men from a lower caste. Because Presbyterians are always pulling crap like that.

Of course, the government sees things so much more clearly, and has the Unified Answer for Everything: apply for government funding to start a project to explore the issue. That'll do the trick!

“We continue to encourage women’s groups and other community-based organizations to apply . . . for support for projects that explore, expose and (contribute) to ending violence against women, including honour-motivated violence,” said the [Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose]'s spokeswoman, Rebecca Thompson, in a recent email.

Speaking of barbaric practices, the involvement of Status of Women is horribly ironic, considering they are Canada's #1 cheerleading squad for the right to brutally dispose of an inconvenient daughter (or son) much earlier in the game.

Honor killing may not occur in every group and culture as the doctor claims, but sin is certainly present in every human heart. If the government is seeking ways to stop honor killings, then it must at the same time seek to honor all human life.