Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to appear before you today as a women's and victims' rights advocate to speak in favour of Bill C-32. I think it's really timely that I'm here today, particularly in light of the victim blaming and shaming by eight complainants toward a CBC celebrity.
Most of the work done by the London Abused Women's Centre is providing counselling support and advocacy to girls over the age of 12, and women who are abused by their intimate partners. But we also provide support services to families whose loved ones have been murdered by men that they trusted to love them. As you may know, we also provide services to prostituted women.
As you may know, Statistics Canada reports that half of all Canadian women, since the age of 16, have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence. You are also likely aware that according to the Department of Justice the economic impact of domestic violence in Canada amounts to $7.4 billion per year, with $6 billion of that attributed to victim costs.
For far too long it has been our belief that we have focused on the rights of the accused and the convicted. At the London Abused Women's Centre we see firsthand, every single day, both the incredible pain and suffering of women and children who have been victimized, as well as their courage and strength as they try to move forward toward a life of freedom, peace, and healing.
We need to recognize that for many reasons most sexual assault and domestic violence victims will never call the police or enter the criminal justice system. When they do, the conviction rate in Ontario of domestic violence cases that go to trial is only 1%. There are many, many reasons for this.
The courts, as you know, move very slowly. The longer it takes to move through the courts, the more likely it is that abused women will either not appear to testify, or will perjure themselves on the stand. For some, they have moved on in their lives by the time their case makes its way to trial. For others, they have gone through counselling, as have their abusers, and they have reconciled. Many still remain too terrified to go to court.
In London right now the superior court is taking approximately one year before it gets to a preliminary trial, and two years before it gets to final trial stage. Provincial courts are taking anywhere from nine to fifteen months before they hear cases.
I have read a recommendation from some that is proposing to allow victims status as an intervenor in the proceedings. This has huge unintended consequences that will make it much more difficult for abused women to access the courts. It would further backlog and delay the court proceedings. There are huge costs associated with that, and you should know that the criminal justice system currently bears a cost of $545 million per year. And there are feelings of pressure, guilt, and inadequacy on the part of victims regarding their performance, when they are asked to participate at that level.
Abused women are fearful of their abusive partners, particularly that they will represent themselves in their defence and that women will face further abuse during cross-examination by their abusers. Bill C-32 specifically addresses this issue in proposed subsection 486.3(2), which orders that the accused not personally cross-examine the witness, unless the judge or justice is of the opinion that the proper administration of justice requires the accused to personally conduct the cross-examination. From our perspective, this is a great positive and removes a huge barrier for abused women in accessing the criminal justice system.
Further, this bill legislates protection, security measures, and opportunities for testimony for women and victims outside of the court.
Accountability is crucial to the work we do at the London Abused Women's Centre. We are of the view that the creation of an external adjudication process is not only a costly duplication of bureaucracy, but it is completely unnecessary in addressing victim concerns and complaints. We say this because of our own experiences in working collaboratively with the criminal justice service providers who we work with in London. We therefore believe that the federal departments and agencies that are recommended in resolving the issues are equipped to address complaints and concerns, provided they are given clear expectations as to their roles.
What we think is required to assist victims is a complaints mechanism that is well understood, transparent, and accessible. We recommend that all victims be provided with information, including a complaints process and contact information at the first point of access. We further recommend that all victim service community partners be provided with similar information that we can post online and provide directly to the women and victims we work with.
For safety, protection, and emotional well-being, victims must be kept informed not only during the active criminal process but during incarceration and post-incarceration of the offenders. We know that currently, despite the very best intentions, victims are sometimes forgotten at certain stages of the process, and this may increase the risk of serious injury and even lethality to those victims. We recognize that including in this bill the guidelines for communicating with victims is a positive and much-needed inclusion.
It's also important to recognize that while crown attorneys across this country would have a responsibility to inform and consult with victims, we do not want, under any circumstances, victims influencing crowns to drop charges. Prior to the mandatory charge policies in this country, abused women were often coerced by their abusive partners to drop charges, to meet with crowns, and to pressure the crowns to drop those charges once they were laid. Men's violence against women is a criminal offence, and like other criminal offences it should not ever be left up to victims to lay or drop charges.
I really do appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today, and there is much more to say. If there is an opportunity to respond to questions, I would particularly like to comment on issues around spousal immunity and restitution orders.
Thank you.