Canada News
Quebec (and Ottawa) fail victims of violence
Quebec is putting new limitations on financial assistance for victims while the federal government has failed to deliver long-promised help to provinces. (Pexels Photo)
Quebec has one of the most inclusive compensation programs for victims of violent crime in Canada, but a crucial reduction of benefits three years ago will soon push many victims into poverty.
The possibility of lifetime payments was eliminated with the adoption of Bill 84, An Act to assist and promote the recovery of victims of criminal offences. Since 2021, victims of serious crimes get no more than three years to get back on their feet. The effect of the three-year limit will start to be felt on Oct. 13. Many victims who are not better in time for the three-year deadline will be relegated to welfare.
Violent victimization can be traumatic and life changing. Society’s obligation to victims is not limited to prosecuting offenders. Failure to invest adequately in resources for victims only contributes to the long-term impact of trauma.
There is no evidence to show that three years is sufficient for an individual to recover from violent victimization and return to work.
Rapid intervention is important for healing, and the longer an individual lives with trauma, the harder it is for them to fully recover. Yet many victims in Quebec wait months for basic frontline support services, and even longer to see a psychologist or other experts.
The provinces should not be alone in this. The federal government should recognize its responsibility to help promote healing and foster public safety. It should reinstate the longstanding model of cost-sharing for victim compensation programs across the country that it ended in 1992.
The origins of cost-sharing
The new Quebec law replaced a program that had been in effect since 1972. The old program was not perfect, but it did offer the possibility of financial compensation for life to victims of serious crimes who were unable to return to work.
The program gradually became better known, and the number of victims who applied for compensation grew. As the population grew and the cost of living rose, the costs increased, too. In 1980, victim compensation cost $7 million. By 2019, that amount had risen to more than $154 million.
Quebec had been wanting to eliminate lifetime payments since 1992, when Ottawa ended cost-sharing with the provinces and territories. The federal program had aimed to encourage the introduction of victim-compensation programs across the country, and it worked. By 1990, all the provinces and territories had their own programs.
Failure to protect: the criminalization of survivors of intimate-partner violence
At that point, the Conservatives decided cost-sharing was no longer necessary. The Liberals promised to reinstate the program, but once elected they never did.
The loss of federal funding was a blow. Newfoundland and the territories eliminated their programs, and the rest of the provinces modified theirs to reduce costs. As a result, the victim compensation vary widely from province to province: Nova Scotia offers only psychological counselling services. British Columbia offers a variety of services including financial compensation for lost wages. Quebec’s program recognizes the effects of violence on loved ones and witnesses.
The toll of revictimization
When victims are supported in their healing process and receive the help they need, they can recover more quickly and are less vulnerable to re-victimization. Victimization surveys consistently reveal that experiencing victimization often increases one’s risk of revictimization. Society in general and governments in particular have an obligation to prevent it.
Stopping revictimization would significantly improve public safety. It is the starting point for an effective crime-prevention strategy. Every dollar spent on victims’ services reduces the cost of crime and its emotional impact.
All victims of violent crime in Canada should have access to victim-compensation programs. Lack of access to them is a clear violation of United Nations standards and norms. Risk of re-victimization is not limited to violent crime. It occurs also in cases of property crime.
The notion of polyvictimization was introduced by David Finkelhor and his colleagues in 2011. It means having experienced many (often three or more) types of crime. This research not only highlights the prevalence of victimization, it also directs our attention to the impact of trauma, such as post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety, which makes a person vulnerable and at risk of victimization again.
In 1985, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power. Ironically, Canada played a key role in the adoption of this Magna Carta for victims of crime, and hosted a meeting of experts, which drafted a preliminary version of the declaration.
Today, Canada no longer recognizes its responsibility to the international community or its obligation to victims. That needs to change.
This article first appeared on Policy Options and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
