Thank you very much.
First of all, I want to apologize that my notes are not in English. I would have preferred to send you my notes, but I had very little time to prepare, so they are only in French.
However, if you have questions in English, I will answer in English.
Good afternoon, members of the committee. Thank you for this invitation to appear before you at this key stage in the study of Bill S‑205, which I introduced to combat domestic and spousal violence.
Ever since a repeat offender murdered my daughter Julie in 2002, I have been deeply involved in combatting violence against women. It is therefore with pride, deep emotion and feelings of hope that I speak to you today to underscore the importance of Bill S‑205. This bill is one I have discussed in recent years with hundreds of women in every corner of the country. They told me their stories openly, painfully, and in a dignified manner. These women were repeatedly subjected to attempted murder, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and psychological violence as they underwent these traumatic experiences. Once again, I want to thank all these courageous women for their invaluable assistance.
In the course of my consultations, most of these victims clearly explained to me that the justice system had failed them when they decided to report their abuser. Left to their own devices, and without any protection, these women who drew from their store of courage to break the silence, have all too often put their lives at risk by doing so. The numbers speak for themselves: in 2019, 136 women were murdered in Canada, a number that increased to 184 in 2022, a rise of 36% in four years. In 2021 in Quebec, 26 women were killed, mostly as a result of domestic violence, a sad record since 2008. Of them, 60% were murdered by an intimate partner.
Statistics Canada figures are indicative of an alarming reality in terms of violence against women: domestic violence accounts for 30% of crimes in Canada, with 107,810 victims. In addition to the violence against intimate partners must be added violence against children under 17 years of age. For 2018 alone, Statistics Canada reported 60,651 child victims. Of all these victims, 80% never reported violence to the police and 28% had suffered serious acts of violence. In criminal courts, 57% of trials were in connection with offences against an intimate partner. In 60% of domestic homicide cases, there was a known criminal history.
Of the women killed in Quebec since the pandemic, 90% had reported their circumstances to the police. That's indicative of the danger victims run when they report their abuser, particularly when he is on interim release. When a victim decides to report her abuser, she automatically becomes vulnerable to her spouse. If the spouse is not incarcerated and on interim release, the risk that violence might lead to death increases significantly.
The essence of my bill is therefore to take pre-emptive action to save as many lives as possible, in view of the fact that release conditions for an individual are neither followed up, nor do they prescribe a monitoring device. That's why the introduction of a monitoring mechanism in keeping with 2023 technology is absolutely necessary to keep the women of Canada safe.
While drafting this bill, I also relied upon expertise and advice from nine Canadian provinces where rates of violence are very high. Accordingly, I worked closely with most of the ministries of justice and public safety in these provinces to tailor my bill to their realities. No other private member's bill has ever led to such extensive consultation.
The ministers in these provinces support the bill, because the approach I am proposing would provide them with effective tools to combat this epidemic, particularly in terms of electronic monitoring. I also drew inspiration from countries that have adopted the use of electronic bracelets, like Spain and France, not to mention Quebec's recent adoption of them here in Canada.
The bill proposes amending section 515 of the Criminal Code to specifically state that victims have to be consulted about their safety and protection needs. The purpose of this measure is to give guidance to the Crown prosecutor by ensuring that the victim is consulted before asking the justice to place conditions on the accused's release. The bill would add to that section of the Criminal Code a condition stipulating that a justice could, if the decision is to release the accused while awaiting trial, require that the accused wear an electronic bracelet.
The bill also requires that the judge ensure the victim is informed of the right to request a copy of the conditions placed on the accused's interim release. This recommendation was also made by the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime.