Human Resources committee  With respect to “probably” or “probably not”, Mr. Komarnicki, the Committee could take inspiration from the way things work for compensation. For example, in order to prove gross negligence, there are police reports, expert reports and medical certificates. Quebec and Ontario both have sophisticated compensation regimes.

Human Resources committee  The issue of gross negligence is treated differently depending on the jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions completely exclude negligence with no exceptions, whether it is minor or major. However, in terms of compensation, for example, others will agree to handle even cases involving gross negligence; they simply remove a percentage of benefits.

Human Resources committee  If this had happened to you as a parent, would you be happy about society stigmatizing you as well? Would you like society to throw you on the scrap heap and forget you ever existed? Would you like to be told that you're not a good parent?

Human Resources committee  I hope that you won't refuse to pass this bill for that reason alone. You are here to find accommodations. You bring out the subtler points. That is what we expect as an organization that defends the right of victims and represents those victims. As a Conservative government, you brought forward a proposal in March of 2010 which was along the same lines.

Human Resources committee  I would also like to say that the Government of Canada withdrew from compensation programs in 1992.

Human Resources committee  I hope that everyone understood my comments with respect to cost. It is difficult to assess the costs at this time. We don't have all the data—for example, with respect to missing children. We feel that the costing for missing children is very high. What I mean is that, when the legislation is in effect, it would be a good idea to follow up with people who have actually taken advantage of its provisions, to see how long they are on leave and develop a profile of these individuals, so that we have appropriate data.

Human Resources committee  We would certainly save on social costs if we allowed people to really get their lives back on track. When they return to work too quickly and get sick, they make use of psychological or other health services. It is difficult to calculate what that represents. You asked me whether a similar program is in place in other countries.

Human Resources committee  Your question about what has happened in Quebec is an excellent one, in my opinion. The fact is that, at the time, people were saying there could be 5,000 applications, or 1,500 applications at best. When I was preparing for my appearance before the Committee, I tried to obtain some information.

Human Resources committee  I could do so during the question period. There is also the whole matter of the costs. I will certainly want to comment on the costing issue. I also have comments with respect to the disparities between the provinces and the role of other authorities, such as the Ombudsman, for example, and the Department of Justice, that can play a role in this area.

Human Resources committee  I will provide that information during the question period, in that case.

Human Resources committee  Madam Chair, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Arlène Gaudreault and I am President of the Association québécoise Plaidoyer-Victimes. I am a founding member of the Association where I have been a volunteer since 1982. The Association québécoise Plaidoyer-Victimes is a coalition of member organizations that work with women, children and seniors.

Justice committee  What the victims we meet want is for the young offender to get help, for there to be programs and for the victim to get treated, that is often the verb the victims will use. I have accompanied many victims to parole hearings in the case of very violent offences. The victims wanted to be there, to attend the hearing, to see whether the offender had changed and whether they had been involved in programs.

Justice committee  I talked about Catherine Kane, who is now senior counsel at the Department of Justice, but until very recently she was the Director of the Policy Centre for Victim Issues.

Justice committee  No. The document I referred to, Mr. Lemay, was not written by Ms. Kane. I referred to two documents, the one from the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime entitled "Towards a Greater Respect for Victims in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act", published in March 2010, and the Report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights entitled "Victims' Rights—A Voice, Not A Veto", published in 1998.

Justice committee  That's right.