Public Safety committee  It was announced in 2007 by Minister Day and Minister Nicholson.

Public Safety committee  I'm familiar with Mrs. Smith's work. I've appeared at different conferences with her. I think that's an area of targeted, specific reform for a group of individuals who commit horrific crimes, and the response of the system isn't adequate right now. I've been before committees fo

Public Safety committee  It's an initiative I support. I have been to the hearings with the families, and they're tremendously difficult for them. If we can relieve them of that burden it will be a good thing, and I encourage all members to give the bill serious consideration.

Public Safety committee  I would tell him or her they have an incredible staff to work with, and I would just tell him or her to be true to your mandate. Your mandate is to advocate for victims of crime, and that may or may not put you in agreement with your minister of the day, whatever party he or she

Public Safety committee  I'll just say on that, we've been telling victims who have called, who have heard, that the office will remain. Certainly I hope I haven't given any indication, and there is no indication that the office is going to close. The office is bigger than me; it's going to continue to g

Public Safety committee  First, let me say this has been the most fun I've had in the three years I've been here. Second, really, I sat with Marjean Fichtenberg in Prince George, British Columbia, almost exactly 15 years ago today, and there was a coroner's inquest because her son was murdered by a fed

Public Safety committee  That's a difficult question. I would say that a number of our recommendations the government has acted on in legislation. Most of the legislation hasn't been passed yet, but steps have been taken. Honestly, I'm not sure I can give you a number. I'll tell you what concerns me, t

Public Safety committee  I think the message was exactly what I said. Again, I come at this as the ombudsman for victims of crime. My sole mandate is to advocate to the government for victims of crime. If I see what appears to be money cut or areas that I think aren't being addressed where we could help

Public Safety committee  Yes, certainly the official crime rates indicate that. I've also reviewed the victimization surveys that we do every five years. I think the next one is actually coming out later this year. I know in 1999 to 2004 there was a 2% increase in crime, but it was focused on property ar

Public Safety committee  Yes, there's no indication that I've seen really that there's a huge increase in crime.

Public Safety committee  I think you see the trends across western countries. In the U.S. the crime rates appear to be dropping. Someone suggested that's because they use prisons a lot more than we do. But you can look at other international countries that are comparable, and they haven't raised their pr

Public Safety committee  To be honest, I haven't thought about it, because I know I'm not going to be here for the next year. But look, the more people in that office who know how to help victims, the more resources we have, the more help we're going to give victims and the more work we're going to do wi

Public Safety committee  I was really encouraged when the government took the step to introduce the bill, because in 2007 there had been an indication that this wasn't going to be the case. Right now, depending on where you are in the country and what ISP company you're working with.... Some ISPs will

Public Safety committee  I'll agree with you on this: I think sentencing is important to victims. I guess we might disagree on how important it is to victims and whether it really addresses their needs. I too have been with families who were concerned about the ultimate sentence and didn't think it was a

Public Safety committee  I think I mentioned it, but if I didn't then I apologize. It was part of the announcement in 2007 for the victims initiative. Previous to that, Correctional Services provided information to victims, but it was often done through individuals working in prisons who had a bunch of o