I am very keen to tell you about the situation in Québec, which has the VCI, the most generous compensation system in Canada. There are also Crime Victims Assistance Centres, CAVACs, and the Crime Victims Assistance Office, BAVAC, where officials are employed to support victims. When I taught at the University of Ottawa, I told my students that it was better for them to live in Gatineau rather than Ottawa if they were victims of a crime.
I will continue in French because the Rome Statute had an important influence on France. In France, a civil party participates in the trial and receives legal assistance to do so. We should have the same system here. We could start with a few trial runs, which could be held in Montréal, where we could combine the Civil Division and the Criminal Division. If such a system were implemented, a great deal more of compensation would be awarded.
In Canada, this is currently just fiction. Judges think in terms of years in prison. They don’t think about compensation that a person should pay if they have the means.
I think we have a lot to learn from this. Canada is a member of the International Criminal Court. Victims who appear before this court have much greater rights and reparations than a victim of domestic violence.
I am moved when I hear a victim testify, as they did today, and this should move everyone. There should be real measures to measure results. It truly is time to act.