Evidence of meeting #49 for Justice and Human Rights in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was data.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
I have a number of them, Mr. Chair.
On slide 25 you're showing the child pornography charges, and then on slide 26 you're showing the convictions. Is there any way of telling us what happened? I'm looking at the possession ones in particular, and we're getting less than half in convictions. Can you give us any indication as to how the other charges were disposed of?
Chief and Advisor, Courts Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
Yes. I don't have that information in front of me, but I can provide it to the clerk.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Are you able to give us a general indication of what happened? Were they withdrawn or stayed or...?
Chief and Advisor, Courts Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
Well, it would have been acquitted, stayed, withdrawn, dismissed, discharged, or some other final decision.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
In the material you sent us on Monday you used, in terms of disposition, an “other” category, which was fairly substantial, as I recall. What is an “other” category?
Chief and Advisor, Courts Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
Are you talking about type of final decision?
Chief and Advisor, Courts Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
An “other” final decision would include matters that were waived to a superior court in those jurisdictions that don't provide superior court data, and there are very few right now. It would also include being unfit for trial or loss of jurisdiction or nullity.
There are very few in that category. Most matters are found either guilty, acquitted, stayed, withdrawn, dismissed, or discharged.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Actually, Mr. Grimes, the rate of this kind of disposition was fairly high in the youth court; it was 15% or 16%.
Chief and Advisor, Courts Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
In youth court there are a number of other decision types that are a result of the YCJA, so there is a much larger category in “other” for youth court.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Okay.
There was a significant variation in some places. You had done regional ones, mostly in municipal regions such as Toronto and Hamilton. The Hamilton rate of charges was at least 50% higher--closer to 75% higher--than Toronto's; Quebec's was substantially lower than Montreal's; the rate in St. John's, Newfoundland, was about a third of what it was in Saint John, New Brunswick.
I'm trying to get some sense of what that variation was about. It was quite noticeable. Is there any explanation?
Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
All we can report on are the numbers that are provided to us through the police services and through the courts. We wouldn't be able to provide you with any indication as to why there might be that geographical variation. We know that there is a fair amount of geographical variation in the number of incidents and the rates, depending on the offence coming forward.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
I have just one more question. With regard to the age factor again, you're showing a really large proportion of young people in the age group from 14 to 17. You haven't broken down the “adult” sexual offences from the “children” sexual offences, in terms of who the victims are. Is there any way of doing some kind of analysis? We might have a 17-year-old perpetrator and a 14-year-old victim. Is there any way of doing that?
Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
Do you mean looking at the age comparison between the victim and the accused?
Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
We would be able to do that for you.
Senior Analyst, Policing Services Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
It's a little bit more complicated for us to put together, but certainly it is something we could provide to the committee prior to March 1.
Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
Just for clarification on our end, would you like that for all sexual offences that are considered under this bill?
Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
It's just the ones under this bill. Okay, we can do that.
Bloc
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Yes.
You are talking about children. How old are these children you are talking about?
