You're setting a very good example.
Under the regulations governing the hearings of the Parole Board of Canada, inmates are entitled to reschedule hearings as they wish, and victims and their families are required to abide by and comply with their decisions.
Consider the example of Clifford Olson, a well-known criminal from British Columbia. He was invited to approximately 30 board hearings but never attended one. The victims and their families, on the other hand, prepared to attend, but Olson decided at the last minute not to appear.
In the case of Paul Bernardo, the families stated that they were unable to attend on the date set for the hearing and requested that it be moved to a date on which they could attend, but the board denied their request.
The same was true in the case of my daughter's murderer. The inmate requested a hearing for release next February following 23 years of detention. The board contacted me to say that the hearing would be held in February. I said I would be out of the country at the time and asked them to postpone the hearing until March. The board's answer was no and that, if I was in France at that time, I would have to find an Internet connection and follow the hearing by video conference.
That just goes to show you how victims and criminals don't have the same rights. And yet the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights provides for the right to participate. Participation means that, if the criminal is physically present at the hearing, the victim or relative of the victim should be there as well.
The minister claims in the House that the Parole Board is independent, but I don't agree. The act is the responsibility of Parliament, and the minister has a duty to apply it to the organizations under his authority.