Since October 1, there has been no federal ombudsman for crime victims.
Article Author:
Canadian Press
Marie-Daniel Smith
Ottawa — The federal government is currently a major victim I have been a rights watcher for more than 9 months.
Since October 1, there has been no federal ombudsman for crime victims, and the Justice Department only started the application process for this job at the end of February.
A conservative senator and advocate for the rights of long-time victims, Pierre Hugh Boisvenu recently criticized the delay in occupying a "significant" position.
The Boisvenu may have screamed at the Victims' families during an ongoing investigation into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shootings at the House of Commons Committee in June. Said.
"Currently, no ombudsman has expressed the anger of the victim's family and spoken of infringement of their rights," he said.
At the same hearing, Jennifer Gold of the Ontario Women's Law Association called for the ombudsman to be found "quickly."
Gold expands its office to better monitor the application of the 2015 Victims Bill of Rights aimed at summarizing and strengthening the rights available to victims within the criminal justice system. She said she needed it.
"It's great to write all these great things, but if it's not actually seen and experienced by the victims, it's rhetoric," she said.
Heidi Illingworth, who served as an ombudsman until October, criticized the government for the "sporadic and inconsistent" implementation of the bill.
Last summer, in a bitter statement, one of her last roles, Illingworth informs victims of their rights and puts them in the system. He said there was no meaningful effort to take responsibility for the failure. Deliver and finally turn the bill into a "symbolic tool."
Illingworth was appointed in 2018 after a long vacancy of 11 months.
In 2007, the office was established with the authority to support and defend victims, including recommendations to the federal government.
A spokesman for Justice Minister David Rametti said in a statement Monday that work was underway to find a new ombudsman and would be appointed "soon."
The ombudsman's office continues to handle victim complaints and help find services, a spokesman said.
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