I knew that Mr. Toller would be giving testimony ahead of me, and so I tried to look at how much money would be involved. I think I have been able to get the same data Mr. Toller presented, or data similar to it.
But I can tell you that on a daily basis we hear from victims of crime across this country, and when we talk about the cost of crime, and I talk about tangible and intangible costs of crime, these are very real people involved. I realize that I'm speaking as a federal ombudsman and that the responsibility for direct services to victims is largely that of the provinces and territories, but I can tell you that there isn't.... We have to be looking at better ways of meeting the financial burden on victims of crime.
Again, I realize why it was so important for the federal victim surcharge to come in. That goes to directly fund the provinces and territories that provide those services. When you hear from victims across this country who can't afford to get counselling—again, I know it's a provincial responsibility—or who can't afford to get some of the basic services they need, the more we can do to provide for that and take the burden of the costs off the victims of crime, the better.
I can tell you that it was only six years ago, I think, that we started to fund victims attending parole hearings, providing them with the basics of transportation and accommodation to attend a parole hearing. That funding only became available, as I say, about six years ago. So we're talking about some very basic support—tangible supports—for victims of crime, who carry the burden of the cost of crime in this country.
So this is a small measure. Also, I want to say that my final comments talked about the fact that this is one measure, but we need to be looking more widely at the whole issue of restitution.