I am inclined to look at it through the same lens as domestic violence in terms of what we learned from that issue. I have to say I graduated around the same time as Ms. Boivin, so we can recall where the domestic violence file was some 30 years ago. A key question was contemplated: did progress really depend on the creation of specific provisions or, instead, on the proper enforcement of existing provisions in all circumstances? “Domestic violence” was not established as a new criminal act in the Code. Instead, the focus was on every step in the criminal process to ensure that domestic abuse would be taken seriously and that things would be done right when it came time for the case to be heard in court.
That is usually my position. What really matters now is recognizing that we already have multiple mechanisms that are not being used when seniors are victimized. That's why I talked about structural ageism in our systems. If, at every step of the way, we endeavoured to raise awareness and work together to make people realize that elder abuse does exist, it would be far more effective.
I'd like to pick up on something that we haven't discussed a lot so far. The very definition we are usually inclined to give the term “elder abuse” is the one established by the World Health Organization: “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person”.
The element of a relationship of trust is fundamental. That means spouses, children, grandchildren, neighbours, service providers and so forth—people who are not strangers to the senior, and with whom the senior usually wishes to carry on a relationship. So when we talk about elder abuse, we are not talking about crimes committed by strangers. Earlier, someone cited some excellent examples of cases where an elderly person's home had been broken into. I would call that a general crime in which an elderly person was victimized. That is quite different from the abusive dynamic between family or friends.
Will this bill serve as a deterrent? I don't know. But what I do know is that we will see a deterrent effect if everyone in the chain, at every step of the way, knows the importance of taking elder abuse into account.