Mr. Charters, as you stated, we are seeing an increase in the number of intimate partner violence cases involving young women. Recently, I met the director of a CEGEP in my region, who confirmed that the number of requests for help from young women who experience intimate partner violence was on the rise. We know that intimate partner violence has an effect on women's mental health. They are clearly and directly connected. That is what the data seems to be showing, anyway, in a CEGEP in my riding. Do you have anything to add?
The other topic that I wanted to mention was something that you have already spoken of. I was asked to replace a colleague who sits on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security when the committee was studying online hate. As you said, it is a problem that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, but it already existed before. Not only does social media put pressure on young women in terms of their image, and we know that they are spending more and more time cultivating that image, but we also know that they are receiving messages that are increasingly hateful and that the level of violence is growing. Obviously, this brings us to the issue of mental health. All these factors are directly linked.
What can the federal government do here? Is it time to legislate in order to fight online hate?