I think we have a significant challenge around coercive and controlling behaviour not being part of the Criminal Code. Emotional and psychological abuse is not recognized. We know that many victims of intimate partner violence are actually suffering, not from physical violence but from this controlling behaviour and from this sort of invisible cage they are put in by a partner completely controlling all aspects of their lives.
At my centre at Ottawa Victim Services, we deal with a lot of survivors experiencing this who aren't certain how they can get help. A lot of what we offer is safety planning. We sit with them. We talk about staying in the relationship or eventually perhaps choosing to leave the relationship, if that's what they decide is best for them, but we certainly have a lack of legal mechanisms. We know the police can't respond when there's non-physical violence or abuse occurring. That's a real challenge for the justice system. When I was ombudsperson, I certainly was supporting the call for criminalizing this form of abuse in Canada.