Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to thank the witnesses for sharing their thoughts with us this afternoon.
Hello, Mr. Lapierre. Welcome to our committee.
After I heard your testimony, several questions came to mind.
First, I would like to talk about an article that appeared yesterday in La Presse, which I sent to my colleagues. It talks precisely about the confusion there may be between spousal violence and separation-related disputes. According to that article, this concept is becoming increasingly well defined. More and more, judges are becoming better able to recognize this concept. Tell me if I am mistaken, Mr. Lapierre, but the article suggests that we are seeing more interest being taken in this subject and greater recognition that spousal violence can be part of the resolution in divorce cases.
The committee's current study addresses the barriers that prevent women from leaving violent situations. It says here that judges are considering the facts that have happened, recognizing situations where there is violence, believing women's testimony, and awarding them additional financial support, which may be a determining factor in a woman's decision to leave a violent situation. This all seems to be a new development. I would like you to offer some further explanation of this aspect, which is extremely interesting.
First, am I right in this? Did I read it correctly? Have I understood you correctly? Are judges being trained properly? I would like to know where the situation stands.