Thank you, Madam Chair.
Ms. Gill and Ms. Silverstone, one question is nagging at me. Ms. Gill, you were saying that, in New Brunswick, a specialized domestic violence court was created and that complaints increased after its creation. I have no trouble believing that. Victims probably thought they had a better chance of being believed and heard.
The bill under consideration deals with violent and coercive behaviour on a repeated and ongoing basis. So it's not about specific acts of violence, such as a punch or a stab, which are specific events. The victim reports to the police that their spouse has attacked them with a knife. It's simple.
I'd like to hear from you about how the bill will work around complaints and offences. For example, what victim is going to say that her spouse, in the first year, took control of her bank account, and in the second year, followed her four or five times? I feel there's a certain fluidity to the behaviour.
Don't you worry that it will be difficult to press charges or to pinpoint the offence that will be the subject of an eventual trial?