Justice committee  Thank you. In terms of resourcing, I think it's known to everyone that there are tremendous challenges in resourcing across the entire justice system. The level of funding, though, that is tied to the federal ombudsmen needs to be increased in order for them to have the role they should be playing in our communities and in our society.

Justice committee  I don't have any stats as they connect to the restitution issue. What I do know is that our organization monitors reported case law, so that's all the decisions that are publicly available to lawyers regarding sentencing and other matters that are going before the courts. Restitution is almost never mentioned in the offences we monitor, which are the online child sexual exploitation offences—like what is called child pornography in the Criminal Code, online luring, agreement or arrangement, those types of offences that tend to involve technology.

Justice committee  Yes, I would echo what Ms. Owens has said. To build on that, the work of the ombudsperson, from the perspective of online abuse and technological abuse, could perhaps play a role in educating the various actors within the system of specific types of trauma and other safety planning considerations that need to be put into place, particularly when we're talking about children.

Justice committee  For several years our organization has been working with material based on victims of child sexual abuse. What we're hearing from them, bar none, is that their safety considerations are immense and that the long-term impact on their lives, once child sexual abuse material has been created, is not well understood by any of the systems that are in place to support them.

Justice committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairperson and distinguished members of this committee. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this study. My name is Monique St. Germain, and I am general counsel for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which is a global leader in combatting the proliferation of child sexual abuse material on the Internet.

Justice committee  Yes.

Justice committee  No, they are absolutely very traumatized individuals. In fact, there's one thing we have really noticed, and it's very striking, because we monitor recorded case law from across the country and human trafficking cases that involve children specifically. What we have noticed is that almost never do those victims file victim impact statements.

Justice committee  Yes, absolutely.

Justice committee  I'm not sure I understand part of the question, but from our perspective, if you're getting at the special circumstances and treatment that happen under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the act is really about children who commit crimes. We're talking here about children who are victims.

Justice committee  Do you want me to go first?

Justice committee  Okay. I think that when it comes to the court system, we have an excellent judiciary. We have different levels of competence and knowledge when it comes to children and specific issues surrounding children. For example, our judges who practice in family law areas would have a lot of different pieces of information and knowledge about children and child development.

Justice committee  When it comes to children, the additional difficulty would be that they don't necessarily have the language or the life experience to convey what has happened to them in a way that is meaningful and understandable from the court's perspective. Having the judge who is hearing the case have a better understanding of child development, child brain development and the impact of trauma on children is very important.

Justice committee  Thank you and good morning. Ms. Chairperson and distinguished members of the committee, thank you for giving us the opportunity to provide a presentation on Bill C-5. My name is Monique St. Germain. I am the general counsel of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which is a registered charity dedicated to the personal safety of all children that has been operating for over 30 years.

Justice committee  Until the D.L.W. decision, there wasn't consistency in the courts in terms of what the definition was, which was the whole point of the D.L.W. decision. What the bill does is provide absolute clarity for everybody in terms of what the conduct comprises when we're talking about a criminal offence.

Justice committee  Shayne Lund was. The D.M or J.D. case is still proceeding through the courts. I was referring to his wife, who has gone through the courts. I don't believe she was prosecuted under the bestiality offence.