First, yes, the problem of victims not being able to attend physically has been addressed, for the most part, with the ability to participate through teleconference or video conference during the pandemic. It took a little while to get going, but it has been up and running now for over a year or just around the year mark. Participation is actually up. We think this is positive and should remain as an option for victims of crime, because people are feeling safer, I think, participating from home. Their travel is not involved. Applying to the fund to access funds to travel—all of that has been eliminated. It's actually quite efficient to participate from home.
So I think that's a good thing. It must continue after the pandemic. Victims need choices. Yes, some will want to attend physically in person at the prison, but many don't want to do that. They don't feel safe to do that. The video conference and teleconference options are very important.
With regard to eligibility dates, that is a challenge that corrections and parole have in terms of delivering information that victims can understand. The sentence calculation process is very complex. I know that right now the national office is working on some information to help decipher this and make it more plain-language for victims about how eligibility dates are calculated and things like that. When you do register as a victim with Corrections Canada and the Parole Board, you are provided the dates for your offender at that time on when they will be eligible to apply for day parole and passes.