Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to a victim of crime and to her family, who have been struggling for years to ensure that her memory is honoured.

In October 2007, Francesca Savoie, who was only 17 years old, died suddenly and tragically in a car accident in Bas‑Caraquet, New Brunswick. The accident was caused by an impaired driver.

Since that tragic day, Francesca’s mother has had lingering questions about the circumstances surrounding her beloved daughter’s accident. For 15 years now, she has been fighting to obtain information from the RCMP investigation file in order to gain a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death, so she can finally grieve in peace as she deserves.

At this point, there are still some unknowns about what happened on that night. Francesca’s mother just wants to be told the truth about her daughter’s death. Her legitimate and entirely understandable efforts have been blocked by the RCMP, which denied her request on the grounds that the victim’s personal information is protected under the Access to Information Act, and that disclosing it would be an unreasonable invasion of the deceased girl’s privacy.

The RCMP’s response, which was confirmed by a Federal Court ruling, is an assault on the supra-constitutional principle of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and, more specifically, on the right to information that Francesca’s mother is asserting.

Honourable senators, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights was created to redress the perpetual injustices inflicted on victims’ families and to prevent them from having to endure a lengthy process to have their rights respected. This sad story is just a reflection of a system that does not take the suffering of these families into account. It is another indication that there is still a lot of work to do to enforce the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

The RCMP is not above federal and constitutional laws, as we heard last week from Marco Mendicino, the minister responsible for the RCMP.

The courts have a duty to enforce laws democratically passed by the Parliament of Canada, and this additional assault on the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights is simply outrageous.

As we approach the second anniversary of the Portapique massacre, my thoughts are with all these families who should not have to fight to be respected by federal institutions. I offer my support to all these families, and I will fight to ensure that the Senate of Canada, the upper house of Parliament, upholds their rights and the rights of all victims of crime. Thank you very much.