Mr. Speaker, today we introduced legislation that will make convicted offenders more accountable to the victims of crime. We will double the federal victim surcharge that offenders must pay and ensure that this surcharge is automatically applied in all cases. The revenue from this surcharge is used to provide direct services to victims of crime. We believe this sends the right message to criminals: they must pay for the harm that they caused their victims.
Canadians deserve a justice system that respects the victims of crime and one that sentences offenders appropriately. We committed to Canadians to put the rights of victims first, and after passing 20 justice bills since 2006, we have delivered.