Certainly. Supports and protections are part of it, but the rules and outcomes are important as well.
When I think about some of the supports and protections that we want to put in place, the changes that we're making to the Victims Bill of Rights are among the first things that come to mind: making sure a person understands that, if they need a testimonial aid to participate in the trial, they should be entitled to one; making sure a person proactively receives information about what to expect in the process, knowing that there is a space for their voice through victims impact statements, through statements that they or their family can make at parole hearings, and through other information they should be receiving throughout the course of the trial. We can make the process better supported and, often, that's informed by those who have experience in dealing with cases involving trauma.
Separate from that, we should recognize that there are rules in place. You drew attention to one that was insufficient to deal with a very traumatic experience, and we need to change it so that we can catch up to the modern understanding of what can be a trauma-related experience.
I should take this opportunity as well to mention that, of all the many different crimes that exist in the world, sexual crimes hold a particular status when it comes to the trauma that impacts a victim when their bodily integrity has been violated. By ensuring that we move forward, not just by redefining “sexual crimes” in Canada but also by addressing challenges related to delays that have been leading to the routine throwing out of far too many cases—nearly 10,000 that were reported publicly—we know that we can deliver a better sense of justice.
It just never felt like justice, to me, to talk to someone who had been through a sexual assault and to hear them say that they never got their conclusion in court and, in some instances, were forced to live in the same community as the assailant. That doesn't feel like justice, and we can improve upon that.