(OTTAWA) The federal government has still not appointed an ombudsman for victims of crime, more than nine months after the departure of the previous person responsible for the office.
Posted at 10:19 p.m.
No one has headed the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime since 1er last October and the Department of Justice only started the call for nominations process at the end of February.
For the Conservative senator and longtime activist for victims’ rights, Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, this is an “essential” position and he recently denounced the very long delay in the appointment process. Furthermore, he believes that the ombudsman should be transformed into a more independent officer of Parliament.
In June, Senator Boisvenu addressed a House of Commons committee to point out that the ombudsman could have represented a strong voice for the families of the victims in the public inquiry into the 2020 killings in New Scotland.
No ombudsman currently conveys the anger of the families of the victims and does not denounce the violations of their rights.
Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu
At the same hearing, Jennifer Gold of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario called for an ombudsman to be found “quickly”.
Mme Gold said the office should be expanded to provide more comprehensive oversight of the application of the 2015 Victims Bill of Rights, which sought to define and strengthen the rights available to victims within the criminal justice system.
“No significant effort” to inform victims
“It’s nice to write all these wonderful things, but if it’s not seen in action and if it’s not experienced by the victims, it’s just rhetoric,” she said. mentioned.
The last person to hold the position, Heidi Illingworth, was very critical of the government, declaring in particular that the application of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, adopted in 2015, is done in a “sporadic and irregular” manner.
In a scathing statement last summer, Mme Illingworth said there had been no meaningful effort to inform victims of their rights or to hold the system accountable for its failures, ultimately making the bill “a tokenistic instrument.”
Mme Illingworth was appointed in 2018 after an 11-month long vacancy.
The office was created in 2007 with a mandate to support and advocate for victims, including making recommendations to the federal government.
A person responsible for communications within the team of Minister of Justice David Lametti replied that the steps leading to the replacement of Mme Illingworth are ongoing and that the appointment will be announced “in due course”. She noted that the ombudsman’s office continues to process victims’ complaints and help them find services.