Absolutely.
If you're going up there, you wholeheartedly think that you can say your piece, say how this has impacted you. That is absolutely not the case, and it is just disgusting.
What happens is that you're supposed to prepare your victim impact statement ahead of time. There is a process wherein the review board gets it 14 days ahead of time, or as close to that as possible before a hearing. Counsel for the accused can review it. They can vet it. Your crown can vet it. If there's something in there that they don't like, such as the word “murderer” or “killed”, or anything that they think goes beyond the scope of the purpose, they can cut and paste, and edit or chop up all your personal information—all the things you really wanted to say from your heart.
It's so offensive. Not only was my statement cut, but so were my mom's, my dad's, and my father-in-law's. Even the one from the member of the police service who worked with Ryan was edited. It just goes to show you that even though you think you have a right as a victim, you really don't. You're playing a game. It's terrible.
Thank you.