There absolutely needs to be better integration between the criminal justice and family law systems because we know that these things, particularly where intimate partner violence is considered, cannot be separated. We have to look to the reality that the current system does not work for many of the individuals—women, children and marginalized people—who are experiencing it. If we look to where the challenges are presently and start there, my worry about criminalizing coercive control is we're assuming it's going to be a check mark in addressing this instance and this issue.
There are many other opportunities we can look at to try to make change. We have the 86 recommendations that came out of the Renfrew County inquest, which lay out a road map for us to invest in the types of change needed to make a difference.
I see the criminalization of coercive control as one piece of that puzzle, but there is a lot of work to be done ahead of that in order that the people assessing on the beat can make the right decisions. Our systems need capacity. We need time and resources to invest in training our officers and frontline staff. Our system as it stands, as a VAW sector, is crumbling, under-resourced and over capacity. Looking at the real solutions there is the place to start if we want to make real change.