Evidence of meeting #32 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was benefit.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Armstrong Conservative Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS
I'm not questioning the amount; I'm sure it's that high.
12:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime
That's a low figure actually.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Armstrong Conservative Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS
In that calculation, is there a calculation there for unreported violence? There can't be.
12:55 p.m.
President, Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres; Director, Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton and Area)
That was a Justice Canada stat from 2009. It is considered a conservative estimate. It included things like health care costs, lost wages, public spending in justice and social services. They tried to do a comprehensive calculation, but it's considered by many to be conservative. Interestingly, this year—I didn't include it because it didn't seem relevant—sexual assault has a higher cost, but the cost is disproportionately borne by the victim not the system because, as Heidi mentioned, most victims of sexual assault do not enter any of our official systems. For me, that was very distressing because it means those victims and their families are carrying that burden alone, as opposed to the others, whereas with domestic violence there are more systemic costs.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Armstrong Conservative Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS
When you add what we all know is a huge amount of unreported crime, particularly in this area, if $7.4 billion is the actual calculation that's been made on what's been reported, if you can extrapolate that and add to what we know is out there we're talking a huge cost upon all of us. It's not only emotionally and the idea of what's right and wrong, but also economically. This is a huge factor we have to deal with.
Thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.
12:55 p.m.
President, Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres; Director, Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton and Area)
I'm going to put a word in here to say that it is absolutely fiscally responsible to address this issue because we are bleeding dollars by not addressing it. I think we would actually be further advanced if we did targeted strategic spending and we wouldn't see these costs.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
12:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime
Absolutely, the cost of crime is borne by the victims. I want to reiterate that point again. Huge costs. I think it's a similar study to those that the Department of Justice have done, but almost 70% of the cost of crime are borne by victims themselves.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Phil McColeman
Thank you very much for being here today as witnesses. We appreciate your time. We appreciate your depth of knowledge and sharing that with the committee today.
The meeting is adjourned.