Thank you for your testimony this morning. It really demonstrates the magnitude of this epidemic. There's a reason why many cities are declaring domestic violence and violence against women an epidemic.
The thinking behind this study was the “Rebâtir la confiance” report tabled in Quebec following the recognition of femicide as the real scourge that it is. Quebec has made progress in some areas, but there's still much work to be done. It has made proposals. For example, it currently uses specialized courts. For example, in terms of training, which several witnesses mentioned, Quebec is trying something through courts that are more adapted to victims to minimize the possibility that they will be revictimized. Quebec is also testing electronic bracelets. We'll see what the results are, but Quebec has made progress in some areas.
However, the topic of this study comes from a discussion I had with a Quebec MLA who worked on the “Rebâtir la confiance” report. They told me their hands were currently tied because there's something that is outside of their scope for action. They found that coercive control was used in many cases of violence and femicide, but that it wasn't yet recognized in the Criminal Code. There's no way to explain that violence isn't always physical, but that it always hurts, and that there's a whole pattern associated with it. Control and manipulation have been noted in most femicide cases, but nothing can be done because it isn't recognized in the Criminal Code.
Since I see Ms. Pantazopoulos nodding, I'd like to ask her a question.
Why is it important to understand that coercive control and manipulation are a form of violence that is often invisible, and that it's dangerous to ignore the fact that violence more often manifests in this way?