In 2006 and 2007, when we submitted the first requests to the federal government, we estimated that about 1,000 families in Canada could benefit from that time off, as those affected could decide to stay with their family for a while.
During my experience in Quebec, sir, I met over 15 people who had lost their job. The most touching case is that of a nurse from the South Shore, across from Montreal.
Thanks to her insurance, this woman was first able to go on leave for a year. In the second year, she asked for unpaid leave because her husband was suffering from depression and her two children had left school. You would think that a hospital environment, where she was working, fosters empathy toward victims, but the board of directors denied her leave. So she had to resign. That happened in January. In May, she came to the association to try to appeal her dismissal. However, under the Quebec Labour Code—which did not protect jobs at that time—she had only 45 days to launch an appeal. Therefore, she did not have a chance to do that. She found a new job at another hospital, but she lost her 18 years of seniority.
Those are very sad cases. I think that, even if only one person lost their job, it would be unfair for the family. Those families did not choose to be victims.
Earlier, I said that the provinces are responsible for assisting victims and the federal government is responsible for assisting criminals. There is no law in Canada that recognizes victims' rights, but the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms grants criminals 17 rights. No victim in the country can state to have used a given piece of legislation to claim their rights, as there is no such legislation. Yes, there are some programs and statements of principle. However, no Canadian or provincial piece of legislation recognizes any victims' rights. That's not normal.
This will mark the first time in Canadian history that victims will have one of their rights recognized—the right to receive compensation over a period of time.