Having experienced this in both civilian and criminal proceedings, I know that delays are a huge burden for victims because they prevent them from completing their healing process. They know full well that they will have to have a clear mind to be able to testify on what happened to them. So they will have a hard time relaxing fully in their therapy sessions until all the proceedings have come to an end. In the case of criminal appeal processes, we know that some trials can take seven years.
I have used the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing—EMDR—method in therapy sessions to treat the post-traumatic stress a person may experience after past sexual assaults. That method produces miracles, but it can also erase memories. Some order can be re-established, but that cannot be done until the trial is finished.
Longer delays slow down the healing process. That is why we are asking for delays to be kept reasonable. Long delays are almost inhumane for some victims. They may testify at the age of 12—preadolescence—and then have to testify again on past events as adults. That is extremely trying, as the healing process cannot be completed.
Alain, do you have anything to add?