As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada, through relevant federal departments, research the prevalence and impact of intimate partner violence in relation to teen dating.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada, through relevant federal departments, research intimate partner violence to examine the ways in which experiencing abuse during childhood may affect the intimate relationships of a person later in life.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada increase funding to organizations, such as Statistics Canada, that are collecting data on intimate partner and family violence, to expand the capacity of these organizations to collect disaggregated data on:

• experiences of intimate partner and family violence for racialized and Indigenous individuals; and
• experiences of intimate partner and family violence for individuals with diverse gender and sexual identities.

Recommendation 4

That, to remove as many barriers preventing all individuals seeking to flee abusive environments as possible, the Government of Canada, respecting the jurisdictions of the provinces and territories, through funding support for shelters and allocations in the National Housing Strategy, continue to develop and expand safe and affordable housing options for Indigenous women, including 24-hour 7 day per week low-barrier safe spaces, transition homes, and housing with rent geared to income.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada, through relevant federal departments, respecting the jurisdictions of provinces and territories, provide sufficient and sustained multi-year capacity funding for women and gender equality organizations that advocate and provide frontline supports and resources for individuals fleeing violence.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada, in collaboration with provinces and territories, implement sexual assault policies and accessible services for counselling in post-secondary institutions.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada support individuals experiencing and attempting to leave situations of intimate partner and family violence by implementing measures to reduce poverty and ensure economic security, such as:

• expanding income guarantee programs in Canada; ensuring they are livable while assisting populations that currently fall outside of Canada’s social safety net;
• providing universally accessible and affordable childcare, in collaboration with provinces and territories;
• funding programs that provide financial counselling and financial literacy training, reflective of diverse linguistic and social contexts;
• funding organizations that facilitate women’s access to education, training and employment;
• implementing a livable disability benefit that accounts for regional differences in the cost of living, in addition to current programs and supports meant to meet specific needs; and
• providing financial compensation for survivors of intimate partner violence.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada provide funding to organizations offering supports and services for survivors of intimate partner and family violence, to ensure that older women who are survivors receive supports that meet both their needs as survivors of violence, as well as their aging-related needs.

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada, through relevant federal departments and respecting the jurisdictions of provinces and territories, ensure that children who have witnessed family and intimate partner violence are provided immediate mental health and trauma support services.

Recommendation 10

That the Government of Canada, in partnership with provinces, territories, and Indigenous nations, implement a plan to respond to the root causes of intimate partner violence in Canada, including:

• eliminating the barriers in accessing the justice systems for individuals working in criminalized or under-the-table economies such as sex work; and
• implementing culturally based programming that reflect diverse communities by providing sustainable funding for Elders, knowledge keepers, traditional healing centres, ethnic community associations, and newcomer and refugee service centres.

Recommendation 11

That the Government of Canada review programs dedicated to providing care for the pets of survivors of intimate partner violence, to:

• ensure education for all stakeholders like police services and shelters to ensure they have the information they need to refer women to services that can foster their pets when they leave an abusive relationship; and
• explore funding for the care of companion pets and shelter of survivors of abuse when they leave an abusive relationship.

Recommendation 12

That the Government of Canada provide funding to research the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries and their life altering effects on survivors of intimate partner violence.

Recommendation 13

That the Government of Canada develop, in collaboration with Indigenous survivors, including women, individuals of diverse genders, a national action plan based on the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls that addresses violence against Indigenous women and girls.

Recommendation 14

That the Government of Canada explore methods to enhance judicial education on intimate partner violence and coercive control, including by providing more funding to the Canada Judicial Council to develop, improve and modernize training for judges on intimate partner violence and coercive control, in collaboration and informed by survivors of intimate partner violence and frontline organizations.

Recommendation 15

That the Government of Canada develop a comprehensive strategy to address financial and economic abuse as a facet of family and intimate partner violence, reviewing existing legislative and policy structures available to support victims, including the Federal Divorce Act, the Civil Marriage Act, and the Criminal Code; encouraging coordination of enhanced trauma-informed policies for relevant sectors across Canada in partnership with provinces and territories, and investing in funding to develop educational materials and training for the incidence of economic abuse, as well as for organizations providing financial counselling and financial literacy training, in various languages.

Recommendation 16

That the Government of Canada conduct a review of all federally regulated financial institutions, including their governing acts, to inform the development of a federal system designed to detect signs of economic abuse and provide support to survivors; considering similar frameworks as observed in the United Kingdom, and with attention to complicating circumstances preventing complete severance from financial abuse, such as for splitting jointly held debt and removing an account holder’s name if family violence has occurred.

Recommendation 17

That the Government of Canada, modeling the Safe Centre Peel model, explore ways of encouraging integration and cooperation among the various resource agencies in communities, and respecting the jurisdictions of provinces and territories, encourage police services to implement victim-centric practices informed by survivors, the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and frontline organizations.

Recommendation 18

That the Government of Canada provide investment in the expansion of intimate partner and gender-based violence research, including disaggregated data for Black, Indigenous, racialized, disabled, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities as it relates to economic and financial abuse, including funding for the increased research capacity of organizations currently studying economic abuse, and the revision of metrics used by Statistics Canada to collect economic and financial abuse data.

Recommendation 19

That the Government of Canada study the possibility of introducing electronic monitoring devices to protect victims of family violence, including the gaps in infrastructure and accessibility of services, based on the Government of Quebec’s pilot study.

Recommendation 20

That the Government of Canada work with provinces and territories to commit to exploring the feasibility of implementing Clare’s Law in Canada.

Recommendation 21

That the Government of Canada, in collaboration with provinces and territories, with the goal of ensuring that survivors with low incomes have access to adequate legal representation, increase funding for organizations providing legal support to survivors of intimate partner and family violence.

Recommendation 22

That the Government of Canada work with provinces and territories to continue to prioritize the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and the Federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, ensuring that:

• the National Action Plan is intersectional, responsive to the needs of individuals made most vulnerable by systems and takes a holistic approach to include resources and supports for violence prevention, intervention and healing strategies;
• investments are made in early intervention strategies to address family violence and to prevent engagement with the criminal justice system;
• investments are made in preventative programming to bring about and maintain lasting change; and
• the National Action Plan includes commitments to funding for organizations serving women, to contribute to their long-term stability and lasting impact for vulnerable communities.

Recommendation 23

That the Government of Canada, in collaboration with provinces, territories and communities, develop violence prevention, intervention and healing strategies that respond to the unique cultural, social, economic, and historic context of the communities it serves.

Recommendation 24

That the Government of Canada, respecting the jurisdictions of provinces and territories, develop educational tools regarding bodily autonomy and consent for children and youth using an intersectional lens and informed by social context, for public availability and distribution, to support Canadian parents, and continue to fund organizations who provide these services, as well as implement early prevention campaigns in relation to intimate partner violence, adolescent relationships, healthy relationships, and mental health in high schools and post-secondary institutions.

Recommendation 25

That, to ensure that groups of people who may be vulnerable to, or who are experiencing intimate partner and family violence, are equipped with knowledge and resource information, the Government of Canada:

• invest in and promote efficient communication strategies, with attention to accessibility by reaching women in often-frequented locations, such as hair salons and women’s washrooms;
• implement culturally sensitive, locally informed and community-oriented awareness campaigns and education programs for various groups including young people, men and boys, women, gender diverse individuals and those living in Indigenous and northern communities in relation to intimate partner violence; and
• work with cultural community services and immigration settlement services to raise awareness of the signs of intimate partner violence and of local support resources in Indigenous languages and languages other than English and French, among the communities they serve.

Recommendation 26

That the Government of Canada, through relevant departments, provide funding for support and educational programs that raise awareness and that address cultures of toxic masculinity and empower men and boys to take part in ending intimate partner violence and family violence and that promote healthy relationships, through the implementation of programs and services that support violence prevention and healing.

Recommendation 27

That the Government of Canada, in its work with organizations providing cultural community services and immigration settlement services, raise awareness of the signs of intimate partner violence and of local support resources and ensure services in Indigenous languages and languages other than English and French are available among the communities these organizations serve.

Recommendation 28

That the Government of Canada, in partnership with community organizations and ethnic community associations, offer support and fund services for newcomers, and provide pathways for women with precarious immigration status who might be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, as offered through language resources and settlement supports, temporary resident status, and open work permits, in a way that is consistent with the cultural and social context of these communities and implementing culturally based programming that reflect diverse communities by providing sustainable funding for Elders, knowledge keepers, traditional healing centres, ethnic community associations, and newcomer and refugee service centres.