Evidence of meeting #38 for Justice and Human Rights in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was rights.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Iqra Khalid
Thank you very much.
We'll now go to Monsieur Fortin. We have four minutes left on the clock, and we have to share that with Mr. Garrison.
12:55 p.m.
Bloc
Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Dr. Wemmers, earlier on, Senator Boisvenu and you spoke to us about the problem of reciprocity among the provinces. Services are not the same in every province, and a way needs to be found to make things consistent across Canada. I understand that. Since we are talking about offences against Canadian laws, it seems to me that it should be a relatively straightforward thing to organize.
My question is more about the families of victims of crimes committed abroad, like the mother of a child or the son of a parent killed abroad, or the son or wife of someone who committed a crime abroad. The current provisions under the bill do not provide any support for such people.
Do you feel that the definitions in the bill should be amended to include crimes committed abroad and that Canadian and Quebec victims of crimes committed abroad should be offered the same protection as if the crimes had been committed in Canada?
12:55 p.m.
Full Professor, School of Criminology, International Centre for Comparative Criminology, Université de Montréal, As an Individual
Thank you for your question.
That's an interesting point. In the European Union, the state where the crime was committed must compensate the victim, even if the victim is from another country.
In Quebec, the approach was changed after the adoption of a new bill to replace the compensation program, and victims can now be compensated elsewhere. If such compensation is not available, because the country or the province does not have access to a compensation program, then victims can appeal to the Quebec system. It's an interesting option.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Iqra Khalid
Thank you very much.
Last, but not least, we'll go to Mr. Garrison for the remaining two minutes.
Go ahead, sir.
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I have a question for Dr. Wemmers, who emphasized, rightly, restorative justice programs. Many of those restorative justice programs are run by community-based groups that can quite often get grant-based funding for projects, but they quite often lack support for their core functions: to actually keep the lights on and the doors open.
The ombudsman for victims of crime suggested that a Department of Justice victims fund be expanded to be able to provide core support for those community-based organizations. Again, I'm asking you an obvious question, but do you think this would play an important role in equalizing services across the country?
12:55 p.m.
Full Professor, School of Criminology, International Centre for Comparative Criminology, Université de Montréal, As an Individual
Funding is very important. Where it comes from is a second question, but I find it very hard to understand how, in the criminal justice system, we can offer alternative sanctions, for example, and they're not covered by the criminal justice system or by the same budget, the justice budget; it has to be community-based budgets that are covering it. I mean, you're providing a service to the criminal justice system, so to me that would be the obvious place to treat it in the same way, to ensure that the justice system pays for any alternative sanctions that are experienced in that context.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Iqra Khalid
Thank you.
That concludes our time, unfortunately.
Thank you, witnesses, for your compelling testimony today. If there's any additional information you would like to add, please don't hesitate to send it over to Mr. Clerk, who would be happy to circulate it among the members.
With that, our meeting is now adjourned. Thank you.