Federal Announcements Focus on Victims of Crime

On October 20, 2005 the Honourable Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced details of new initiatives to support victims of crime. Victims will now be able to apply for financial assistance to attend the National Parole Board (NPB) hearings of the offender who harmed them. In addition, a new National Office for Victims has been established to provide information and support to victims.

The new financial assistance program will be available to those victims who attend NPB hearings from November 1, 2005 and onward. Victims with hearings scheduled between now and the end of March 2006 have already been notified that they are eligible for this financial assistance.

The new financial assistance to attend NPB hearings covers travel, hotel and meal expenses, in accordance with current Government of Canada Travel Guidelines. In order to receive this financial assistance, victims must be registered with Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) or the NPB and must submit an application form to the Department of Justice.

In addition, a new National Office for Victims has been established within the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to better meet the needs of victims of offenders under federal responsibility.

This office will be co-located with the Department of Justice's Policy Centre for Victim Issues, which is mandated to coordinate federal initiatives for victims of crime and to ensure that their perspectives are considered in the development of policy and law reform. Victims will be able to reach the office by calling, toll-free, 1-866-525-0554 from anywhere in Canada and the United States.

The financial assistance component of the Victims Fund, along with the creation of a new National Office for Victims and partnership with the Policy Centre for Victim Issues, is part of the Government's continued commitment to supporting victims of crime.

For more information, visit these web sites: www.canada.justice.gc.ca and www.psepc.gc.ca.

Backgrounder

National Office for Victims
1-866-525-0554

Victims' involvement in federal corrections and conditional release has grown extensively over the last years. The number of victims who registered with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the National Parole Board (NPB) for notification more than tripled between 1995 and 2004, up from 1,200 to 4,400. NPB receives over 1,100 new requests per year for access to its decision registry and provides 4,000 decisions annually to victims.

New National Office for Victims

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada has established a National Office for Victims of offenders under federal responsibility. Effective November 1st, 2005, this office will enhance existing information services provided directly by CSC and NPB.It will be co-located with the Policy Centre for Victim Issues (PCVI) at the Department of Justice and victims will be able to reach the office by calling, toll-free, 1-866-525-0554 from anywhere in Canada and the United States.

What is the role of the office?

Both CSC and NPB already offer a number of services for victims and provide information to registered victims. For example, victims can obtain a copy of NPB decisions, attend parole hearings and present an impact statement. The National Office for Victims will provide a centralized mechanism for them to obtain information and support on federal corrections issues. The office will:

• provide general information to victims and perform a referral function to CSC and NPB for specific information enquiries;
• provide a "victims' lens" at the national level for the Department, CSC and NPB in terms of policy development;
• develop information products for dissemination to victims and the general public.
• complement the work being done by PCVI; and,
• provide input into the development of communication and training material by the Department, CSC and NPB.

Existing CSC and NPB victim services officers (i.e. Victim Liaison Coordinators and Regional Communications Officers) will continue to be the primary source of ongoing information to registered victims.  

Backgrounder

Victims of Crime

Over the past several years, the Government of Canada has worked to improve the experience of victims in the criminal justice system. The Departments of Justice Canada and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the National Parole Board (NPB)have worked together to implement measures in order to better meet the needs of victims.

Victims of Crime Initiative
The Department of Justice's Victims of Crime Initiative was launched in April 2000 in response to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights Report Victims' Rights - A Voice Not a Veto . Administered by the Policy Centre for Victim Issues (PCVI), the overall goal of the Victims of Crime Initiative has been to increase the confidence of victims of crime in the criminal justice system through raising awareness among victims of crime and their families about their role in the criminal justice system and of services and assistance available to support them. This is achieved through consultation, research, policy development, legislative review and amendments, project funding and most importantly, a close working relationship with provincial and territorial counterparts who are tasked with the responsibility for victim services delivery.

In the first five years of its mandate, the Policy Centre for Victim Issues has conducted a number of evaluations, surveys and consultations with victims of crimes, victim advocates and service providers on their experiences and on specific issues. Overall results have indicated significant improvements in victim services, awareness, education and training, particularly in smaller jurisdictions and the North. These results have also enabled PCVI to advance the federal strategy and raise the profile of victim issues.

The Victims of Crime Initiative also established the Victim Fund, which provides grants and contributions to provincial and territorial governments and non-governmental organizations to develop, promote and enhance services and assistance for victims. Budget 2005 renewed the Initiative on an ongoing basis and provided funding to the Department of Justice of $25 million for the next five years.

The PCVI is mandated to work toward improving the experience of the victims of crime in the criminal justice system by pursuing a range of activities and initiatives to:

• Make victims more aware of their role in the criminal justice system and the laws, services and assistance applicable to them;
• Increase overall awareness about the needs of victims of crime and effective approaches in Canada and internationally; and

Improve the ability of the Department of Justice to develop laws and policy that take into consideration the perspectives of victims.