Information & Ethics committee  Absolutely, it's a criminal offence. It's very clear in the Criminal Code that this is a criminal offence. To the lawyer who was on—I'm sorry I've just lost your name in the lateness of the afternoon—I want you to know that everything you've said is so important. It's why we came up with a recommendation that there be some sort of a Canada Revenue Agency audit that would examine all of their subsidiary companies and try to determine if they're compliant with the relevant legislation.

Information & Ethics committee  I just want to say really quickly that in the testimony of the MindGeek CEO and COO, I found that they really don't care one bit about interfering legally or about any software. They say in their testimony that for the last two years they've been building the tool called “SafeGuard” to help fight the distribution of non-consensual images.

Information & Ethics committee  I'll say that I think our six recommendations are very sound and were developed in consultation with the global community. I will make sure that you get those and the rationale for them in writing. We have a criminal justice system that unfortunately continues to rely on victim testimony for a conviction or for any further action.

Information & Ethics committee  That's incorrect. When they advertise for teens, oftentimes they are teens under the age of 18. Also, the regular Joe or Josephine who is going to be clicking to watch it does not have an understanding that it would mean 18 or 19. That individual or individuals would have an understanding that it is a young girl.

Information & Ethics committee  First of all, self-regulation means that the corporation that is perpetuating violence against women and child pornography is regulating and deciding which videos go through and which don't. In fact, very few don't. Self-regulation is a problem. In the U.K., in fact, they were trying to do something around age verification, and MindGeek joined the team and wanted to do self-regulation.

Information & Ethics committee  Absolutely, there's no question.

Information & Ethics committee  Absolutely.

Information & Ethics committee  We served 1,300 victims of human trafficking of women and girls last year. As you may know from the media, one source of our funding through the federal government was not renewed. Fortunately, because of the support we have in the city of London, the city raised the money, $12,000 a month for almost a full year, so we could continue our program, because we have a real problem—and not only in London but in every single city off the 401.

Information & Ethics committee  We were successful in receiving the funds. We have not received them yet, but we were successful in being granted the funds. However, it's only up to $200,000 for a two-year period.

Information & Ethics committee  We're very fortunate, because not only is Peter supportive but all our MPs have worked collaboratively from all parties, which is what we need to tackle this issue. That's what I'm seeing today, as well, with all of you, so thank you.

Information & Ethics committee  Good afternoon. I hope everybody is well today. This is a heavy subject and you've had heavy testimony. I really want to honour the lives of the victims who have come forward today, Ms. Galy and the two guests that you've had, as well as Ms. Fleites, who appeared last week. It takes an incredible amount of courage for women to come forward.

Justice committee  I think we need to remember that this is good legislation. We know that abuse against women is a pattern of behaviour, and on the flip side, that may be what makes it very difficult to enforce. It's not a single incident; it's a pattern of behaviour that repeats itself over time.

Justice committee  Well, I think the most important thing we can do is understand that there is a link between the family court and the criminal court. My concern about coercive behaviours is that so often judges are blaming women for being the ones that are coercive. Women are often blamed. They are losing their children to the courts.

Justice committee  I don't think we can rely on women to prevent the violence they face every day. We need to make sure that men are held accountable for their behaviour. We need to understand that this is a major crisis. The government needs to stand up, as it's done with COVID, and say that this is a problem and that it is going to make sure it provides the resources needed to ensure that all women have immediate access to service and all men have access to service that they need to learn what it's like to value women if they can value themselves.

Justice committee  I think the reverse. I think that if we don't stop and invest in changing the Criminal Code, which actually is not that difficult....You start with a code named “ending male violence against women” or whatever you choose, you sift the 35 plus sections under that funnel, and you would add there exactly what you were asking for: coercive control.