The key weakness in victim assistance, particularly with respect to restitution, is that it's a provincial jurisdiction. Four provinces have good services, four have minimal services, and four provinces and territories do not offer any victim services. Canadians are therefore not equal before the law.
Furthermore, if a crime is committed in Ontario but the victim is from Quebec, there will be no compensation from the victim's province of residence. The Minister of Justice should show leadership and set minimum standards, as is the case for health and various programs, to make sure that all Canadians are treated equally, no matter where the crime was committed. It's ridiculous that a Quebecker who is assaulted in Vancouver, for instance, would not receive assistance from either British Columbia or Quebec. However, Quebec tends to do so under its new act.
Leadership definitely needs to be developed within the federal government, at meetings of the ministers of justice, to discuss reciprocity between the provinces and basic standards in terms of victim assistance. I think that's the very least the country should do.