Justice committee  I would like to make a proposal. The federal government could re-examine its position regarding compensation. Until 1992, it support the compensation schemes throughout Canada. Then it stopped. If that support were restored, it would certainly meet the needs felt by many victims in terms of moral support as well as psychological consultations, and it would help the provinces perform their mandates better.

Justice committee  A lot of programs are being created to train workers. The federal government has made a lot of investments in the provinces and territories for training. It is important to do that, but there has to be general training and targeted training. What the federal government funds should not be funded by the provinces.

Justice committee  That is a difficult question. You have raised an important problem. We cannot help but be moved by the situation of these children and spouses. We have a responsibility to put programs in place to help these people, which might fall under Correctional Service Canada, for example.

Justice committee  First, there is a need in connection with data collection, as the Ombudsman wisely pointed out in her report. Information should be exchanged more widely among the provinces and territories. It is not reasonable that seven years after the CVBR was adopted we do not have an idea of the complaints mechanisms in the provinces and territories, and we do not know what works and does not work, or what best practices are.

Justice committee  I agree with Ms. Owens, because it does not meet all victims' needs. Some victims want to follow all the proceedings, including when the sentence is being served. Others do not want to follow them, because it is too complicated for them and they are not psychologically up to it.

Justice committee  The Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime does not have a lot of employees, as compared to the Office of the Correctional Investigator. Its staff would need to be expanded so that it can fulfil its mandate and reach everyone. Particular attention also needs to be paid to the question of language.

Justice committee  That would be a good idea. About a decade ago, the Policy Centre for Victim Issues set up an advisory committee. It provided a place where very worthwhile discussions took place all across Canada. That is something we are missing, in fact: being able to exchange ideas with representatives of other provinces and territories about our work and the obstacles we encounter in putting solutions into practice.

Justice committee  As I was saying earlier, we have to continue to produce information, whether in writing or otherwise. Adequate training for service providers is also an important aspect to keep in mind. The information provided must be rigorous and kept up to date. We have to monitor changes to laws and practices.

Justice committee  Victims are witnesses in the justice system. They are on the periphery of the system. Victims have to be more familiar with the Victims Bill of Rights so they are able to exercise those rights before various bodies, for example, before administrative tribunals like the Commission d'examen des troubles mentaux, the CETM.

Justice committee  The ombudsman is also doing important work on analyzing the systemic problems and broad issues that small organizations often do not have the time to study. They sometimes do not have the resources to do it. The reports that the ombudsman has released have been invaluable in advancing our discussions.

Justice committee  The wording of the CVBR is very vague. In fact, implementation of a large portion of the rights rests on the provinces' shoulders, since they are responsible for the administration of justice. So it is difficult to have a complete bill of rights, unless all the rights are enumerated.

Justice committee  —and transpose them into our workplaces. Thank you very much. I would also like to thank you for the work you are doing.

Justice committee  Right. I have two more things to say. That element needs to be examined, because not only has the use of restitution not been improved, but we have seen a decline in the number of applications since the CVBR was adopted. In conclusion, I will say that we are disappointed, and we do not understand the lack of urgency on the part of the federal government to move ahead with the parliamentary review that was provided for in the act when it was adopted.

Justice committee  Good morning. I would first like to thank you for allowing us to participate in this consultation. I am representing the Association québécoise Plaidoyer-Victimes, a victims' rights advocacy organization, of which I am the president. To begin, I want to say that we welcome the work undertaken by the federal government to publicize the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, the CVBR, to put the provisions of the bill into practice, and to support the mission of numerous organizations.

Justice committee  We agree that compensation does not fall under the justice system.