Madam Speaker, first of all, I congratulate my colleague for introducing Bill C-221, especially in such an emotional situation. I have never experienced that, so it is hard for me to imagine, but I think victims have a right to know. The bill aims to share information about temporary absences more effectively. It is heartening to see all the parties working across party lines to support this bill for humanitarian reasons.
The Association québécoise Plaidoyer-Victimes, or AQPV, felt that the bill was in line with its demands. In a brief, the AQPV said:
The AQPV believes it is essential to explain how decisions on eligibility dates and review dates applicable to the offender in respect of temporary absences, releases or parole are made.
The AQPV wonders what form these explanations will take....
Earlier on, my colleague said, first of all, that victims need to want to receive this information. Next, this information must be communicated in a way that is clear and tailored to what victims want.
The association wrote in its brief:
...the AQPV believes that, when the sentence is handed down, the victim should already be informed of what a federal sentence consists of, as well as what the offender may be entitled to, including parole eligibility and the circumstances that may lead to it.
Correctional Service Canada documentation is “available online, including that concerning the possibility of parole”, but it is complex, even for a criminologist. The brief says that to “better support victims...it would be appropriate to provide them with a simple, clear and concise document, and to offer them a telephone meeting with a specialized resource”, if they want one, that is, “from an organization such as CSC's National Office for Victims (NOV)”, because this support “would help victims better understand the next steps and therefore make them feel safer”. This is essential.
The brief also talks about support services for victims when they receive information:
The AQPV would also like to raise the following questions:
How would the explanations of the way the dates were determined be provided to victims?
Would they be provided in writing only?
What measures would be taken to support victims when they receive this information?
In the AQPV's view, the information must
be communicated with sensitivity and humanity; and
come with the option of speaking with a person who is trained to support victims.
Even if the victim has expressed a wish to receive the information they are entitled to in writing, the victim should still be able to speak with a person who specializes in working with victims, such as someone from the NOV, who can answer any questions and explain how the dates were determined.
This is a very important bill, to say the least, and I hope everyone will support it so that it can pass as quickly as possible, so that it does not die on the Order Paper, like the previous version did.
I would like to thank my colleague once again for introducing this bill. We hope to proceed as quickly as possible.