Justice committee  We do have a victims services directory, and it includes information on languages spoken and whether there are particular populations. We see this particularly in instances of family violence where there is a very good network of shelters but also community organizations that will work with victims.

Justice committee  I can jump in. Again, using the example of family violence, I think they're very culturally appropriate. This is not just for immigrants, we also see this with people who are living in Canada who practise a different faith or feel more comfortable with people speaking their mother tongue, for example, as well as indigenous people.

Justice committee  Sorry, can I just jump in very quickly?

Justice committee  The Department of Justice supports the development and enhancement of child advocacy centres, and has been doing so since 2010. In those instances, child advocacy centres include a multidisciplinary team. For those teams, specific information-sharing protocols are signed, so law enforcement can share information with others sitting around the table, which might include mental health professionals, medical professionals, advocates, victim services, Crown, for example.

Justice committee  I can speak to that, Madam Findlay. The short answer is we're not sure, which sounds very vague and “un-data-like”, and my apologies for that. We have, through a special request, been able to get data from the Canadian centre for justice and community safety statistics at Statistics Canada.

Justice committee  When enforcement is still in the criminal justice system, so when there are restitution orders, a condition of a conditional sentence or probation, community corrections works very closely with the offender to develop a payment regime. For example, a schedule or payment is made at the outset, paid to the court, and then transferred to the victim.

Justice committee  Thank you for the question. The right to information, as the ombudsman has noted in her 2021 report, she considers a “gateway right”. I think everyone at this table can agree that the right to information is very important. Victims have always wanted information. There's an article we've prepared that looks more closely at this right to information, but particularly in the context of the impact of trauma on learning and what victims, those who are particularly traumatized by their victimization experience, are actually able to retain in terms of memory being affected, and the different strategies for that.

Justice committee  Perhaps I can begin, Mr. Morrison. Are you speaking about standards through the Standards Council of Canada—the SCC—and the formal development of national standards?

Justice committee  I think the Canadian statement of basic principles addresses that standard. That has been signed on to by all provinces and territories, which are responsible for the administration of justice. That falls under their domain. I can turn this over to our Public Safety portfolio colleagues to address the issue of standards in their respective agencies.