Mr. Speaker, this is restorative justice week. True justice makes things right rather than lamenting what is wrong. True justice cultivates strength rather than perpetuating failure. I believe restorative justice could be a great part of the solution for our justice system in Canada.
Restorative justice views crime as a violation of the victim in the community, not solely a violation of the state. As a result, the offender becomes accountable to the victim and the community.
Under our existing justice system, offenders seldom are required to realize the harm they have caused. Restorative justice confronts the perpetrators with the personal harm they have caused and requires them to pay reparation and make real amends to victims and the community.
Restorative justice offers victims the opportunity to regain personal powers and allows them the time to become more involved with the justice system. It also gives them the power that was taken away when the crime was committed.
In one word, restorative justice puts victims at the centre of the justice system where they should always have been.
Restorative justice should be studied by this House as an alternative to the current way of thinking about crime and criminal justice in Canada.