Canada's new government is taking stronger action to protect victims and survivors of crime. The Protecting Victims Act is one of the most consequential reforms of the Criminal Code in a generation to help stop intimate partner violence and femicide, and keep our kids safe from predators.
This builds on the Government of Canada's actions to support victims and survivors of crime, which provides approximately $50 million annually to support victims and survivors of crime across the country.
This funding helps strengthen services and supports across Canada, including by helping provinces and territories enhance victim services, supporting victims and survivors of human trafficking, helping children and youth who have experienced abuse, and funding community-based services and initiatives.
This support includes investments in the following areas:
- Provinces and territories: $8.8 million per year to provinces and territories to help implement and enhance victim services and the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. This funding helps provinces and territories implement legal requirements for victims of crime, particularly provisions of the Criminal Code such as victim impact statements, publication bans, restitution, victim surcharge, and testimonial aids. It also helps provinces and territories develop and enhance victim assistance programs with justice system partners, conferences, public legal education, and similar initiatives.
- Human trafficking: $1 million per year for non-governmental organizations to undertake projects that support victims and survivors of human trafficking.
- Children and youth: $3.3 million per year for projects that support children and youth victims of abuse under the Child Advocacy Centres Initiative.
- Victims and Survivors of Crime Week: More than $1 million is being provided to 149 organizations throughout Canada to support local events, workshops, and activities to raise awareness about the issues victims and survivors face and the support available to them and their loved ones as part of Victims and Survivors of Crime Week in May.
These actions build on what victims, survivors, and loved ones have told us directly: too many have been left carrying the weight of a system that asked too much of them when they needed support the most. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks as the government works with provincial, territorial, and community partners.
