OTTAWA - Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo invites all constituents to have their say in the creation of a Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.
"Our government is committed to standing up for victims of crime and ensuring that victims have a more effective voice in the criminal justice system," said McLeod. "These consultations are critical to identifying and recognizing how to better entrench the rights of victims into a single law at the federal level."
These consultations follow the federal government's commitment in February to enhance the rights of victims of crime by bringing forward legislation to implement a Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.
This legislation builds on our government's record of achievements in advancing the interests for victims of crime by entrenching their rights into a single law at the federal level.
These achievements include:
• the establishment of the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime;
• the creation of the Federal Victims Strategy, with more than $90 million allocated since 2007 for projects and services that help give victims a more effective voice in the criminal justice system;
• the allocation of more than $10 million for new or enhanced Child Advocacy Centers since 2010 to address the needs of child and youth victims of crime;
• the introduction of legislation to double the victims' surcharge and make it mandatory; and the elimination of the faint-hope clause.
"These consultations offer a meaningful opportunity to provide input on how the criminal justice system should respond to victims,” stated McLeod.
Consultations open to the public will be hosted on-line from May 1 to June 30, 2013. Those interested in participating can visit the Department of Justice's website www.justice.gc.ca.