Evidence of meeting #50 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 court.
A recording is available from Parliament.
February 28th, 2011 / 5:20 p.m.
President, Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec
No, provincial police officers did not participate in that round table; at least, I did not, as the president of the association.
Bloc
Marc Lemay Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
But did someone from your organization participate? I am not talking about the RCMP; I am talking about the Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec. You represent the Sûreté du Québec, you operate all over Quebec, and you are telling me that you did not participate in the round table?
President, Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec
Maybe the Sûreté du Québec did, but not the Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec. I represent the union.
President, Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec
I represent Sûreté du Quebec officers; the union. Perhaps someone from the senior management of the Sûreté du Québec participated in the round table.
Bloc
Marc Lemay Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
I am sorry, but you represent the unionized members of the Sûreté du Québec who—according to what you have just told us—have to deal with these problems every day. And you are telling us that you were not aware of it. That surprises me a great deal. If that is the case, it is really a shortcoming—
President, Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec
You must not confuse the Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec and the Sûreté du Québec. If anyone participated in that round table, it would be the senior management of the Sûreté du Québec. You are telling me that there was a bill and a round table was organized to discuss it. I know that representatives of the Sûreté du Québec were there, but not from our association.
Conservative
Conservative
Rick Norlock Conservative Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
Thank you very much to the witnesses for coming in today.
Mr. Dagenais, police officers are the first people called when a crime is committed. The first people they meet, of course, are the victims. Usually they follow the victims right through the whole criminal justice system, and many times afterwards, especially these days, when we tend to spend a little bit more time taking care of victims, although many of us feel that we need to do more.
We're dealing specifically here with the most serious of crimes, not petty crimes. We're dealing with serious assaults, serious property crimes, and sexual crimes. We often forget that the victims usually spend a lifetime in counselling, and that if they are living in homes where there have been large break and enters or home invasions, they put up bars on their windows, especially the elderly.
Could you comment on your experiences and the experiences of your membership when it comes to dealing with victims, what they've gone through, and how it has changed their lives?
President, Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec
I know that the rights of the accused have to be taken into account when a bill is considered, but, as I mentioned earlier, we too often forget the victims. They have to bear the consequences of the crime that has been committed for the rest of their lives. I have met people who have been assaulted, unlawfully confined, and I have met attempted murder victims. As soon as they leave court, they are left alone with themselves. They have had to go for counselling. After two or three months of counselling, those victims, people who had been assaulted at work, had to go back there. Afterwards, they were constantly afraid of being assaulted or followed. Sir, that can last a lifetime. I have known a number of people in that situation.
We are asking for stricter laws because, as police officers, we know the victims. They should be given priority. When I say that we have to get criminals off the streets, it is because of the victims. Laws are often designed to protect the rights of the accused and we are not against that. But I have seen cases where assaults occurred maybe 20 years previously and the victims are still experiencing the same trauma. They could not go out in the evening, they felt that they were being followed, and so on. That is post-traumatic shock. Some come out of it well, but others do less well, especially if they find out that they might bump into their attacker in the street. I have certainly seen cases where the defendant was in prison for 10 years or so and where the victim, knowing that he had been released—and I will spare you my comments about that—began to be afraid again. We have to consider that too.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Ed Fast
Thank you.
I want to thank both of our witnesses for appearing. Your testimony will be part of the public record and will help us move ahead with Bill C-4.
Thank you to all of you.
We're adjourned.