We identified early on from the calls we were getting and the research that exists that of the total costs of crime, corrections, police, all those things, it's really victims who bear almost 70% of the costs of crime in Canada. We know that's a real issue, and we heard from people about the challenges they have. Restitution has been around for decades. We actually see today fewer restitution orders in our courts than we saw a decade ago. That's a concerning trend. The numbers aren't that much down, but it's not going up, which concerns me. We actually asked the minister and recommended that he examine some models in the U.S. and others on restitution. He set up a working group that I understand is still looking at different models.
I know the Minister of Public Safety, in Bill C-43, included in there, for the first time, in the CCRA, a reference to restitution, as making it part of an offender's work plan. That's really important, I think, because some judges look at restitution and say, “Well, this guy is going to jail. He doesn't have any money.” We know that offenders make some money when they're in prison. We also know that victims actually appreciate, even if the total restitution isn't paid, that efforts are made by the offender. I think it actually has a benefit for the offender as well. It makes the crime real. It makes it matter. As opposed to their being responsible to all of us, they're responsible to a mother who can no longer get in her car to take her kid to school. That means something. I think it would actually mean something to some offenders.