For about a year or a year and a half, the association has undertaken research that does indeed focus on coercive control. The experiences of the United Kingdom, that is to say Scotland, Wales and England, have demonstrated the importance of training all direct and indirect stakeholders. Training on coercive control is needed not only for police officers, but also for all those working in the justice system, such as lawyers and judges. The specialized court, a model being developed in Quebec, is a step in this direction.
In our view, this is essential, but we need to go further. For instance, community organizations must be included as well. It is necessary for all agencies that revolve around victims of domestic violence to have a good understanding of coercive control.
We have talked about tools. I would like to clarify that the research is also focused on developing screening tools for the public and for police officers. The goal is to get to the point where we can properly outline the concept of coercive violence and enter elements of coercive control into evidence. Naturally, this requires amending the Criminal Code. You can't make an amendment to a section of the code without a training component.