I just want to echo what Ms. Dale said about the provinces and the territories working together. This issue was brought up to our youth advisory council from across Canada. They're excited to have representation when they go to court if something bad happens, but the youth council actually asked us some questions. Why aren't we teaching young people from the very beginning about what to do if they are a victim of crime? What happens when they are victimized by crime? How does the criminal justice system work?
I think the federal ministry of justice needs to work with not just their counterparts provincially but also other ministries provincially, including education and health, to say, listen, we have some carrots: match these carrots, put it into your curriculum, and let's give students the resources and tools even before they're victims of crime.
That type of proactive education is really critical. I can't even tell you how many victims of crime walk in and out of my office door. First off, they have been victimized. They're not in an emotional or physical state to be able to handle the information we're throwing at them. We do victim education training in our forums. Because 50% of women will experience violence, sexual or physical, before the age of 30, and because that number is even higher in LGBTQ communities, we do training for LGBTQ folks who are attending our forums so that they understand what the criminal justice system looks like, what will happen when you're a victim of crime, how to document that experience of victimization, and how to know what to disclose or not disclose to friends, family, or other stakeholders. It's about navigating confidentiality, because of course your body and your identity become evidence.
It just can't always be last-minute. We have to be proactive about these things. It would be great to imagine that we live in a world without crime, but I think the federal ministry of justice has an opportunity to show leadership, and then of course to work with civil society like us. We can sit down and craft a national strategy, which we still don't have, and implement it.
Thank you for the last word.