Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned child youth advocacy centres in his question, and I am really pleased he did that, in terms of child services for child victims of crime.
One of the most important things our government has done is support the creation of these child youth advocacy centres. There is a very important one in Toronto called the Boost child and youth advocacy centre. I hope our government will be able to support one in my Region of Peel, which is the cities of Mississauga and Brampton. A plan is being worked on to prepare one there very soon, and I hope it will be supported by the Department of Justice in the future.
On April 3, Karyn Kennedy, executive director of the Boost centre in Toronto, said the following about the bill of rights:
Boost supports the work of the Federal Government in creating the Victims Bill of Rights. This legislation will give victims a much stronger voice and a greater presence in the criminal justice system.
She further said:
We have been part of several consultations on the bill over the past year and are pleased to see the progress made.
I think that statement indicates that those who provide victim services to children see this as a big step forward in the services they provide.