Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Welcome, minister. I appreciated working with you on reviewing the assistance program for parents of murdered or missing children when you were in another department.

That said, I listened carefully to the answer you gave Senator Plett, and I don’t think you listened closely to the eloquent remarks made by MP Lightbound yesterday or the similar remarks made today by another one of your colleagues, MP Robillard. Two MPs in two days makes for a powerful message to your government.

I’d like to quote something MP Lightbound said that rang true for me: “There are experts, professors, who are saying that it’s time to stop with this approach —”

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Honourable senators, today I’m speaking on behalf of Canada’s victims of crime and their families.

As you know, my mission as a senator is to ensure that our justice system and our federal institutions respect the rights of victims of crime. In 2015, after more than 10 years of tireless work, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights was adopted by the previous government, thereby enshrining victims’ rights in law. The bill of rights is supra-constitutional and enforced by the Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, who is also the voice of victims within our federal institutions, ensuring that the government is discharging its responsibilities toward them.

As of October 1, the Liberal government has been in default of its obligations under the bill of rights because it has allowed the position of Ombudsman for Victims of Crime to remain vacant. This situation is unacceptable to victims, because the ombudsman reports to the Minister of Justice, who knew very well when the previous ombudsman’s term ended because he himself set the length of that term.

The government’s delays and failure to fill the position directly infringe on victims’ rights. Once again, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is sending the wrong message to victims of crime, namely, that they’re not a priority for him or his government. As proof, this is the second time since 2015 that this government has been woefully slow to fill this position. Meanwhile, that has never been the case for the position of Correctional Investigator, the ombudsman for criminals.

In 2017, criminals were even given an interim representative until the position was filled on January 1, 2018. Unlike victims of crime, who have been without an official representative for more than 11 months now, inmates have not gone a single day without representation in the past 10 years.

We must redress the imbalance that still exists between these two positions. It is inconceivable for victims that their ombudsman does not enjoy the same privileges and powers as the inmates’ representative. The latter is a permanent, independent position, enshrined in and protected by federal law, unlike the office of the ombudsman for victims, which is a program that depends entirely on the goodwill of the Minister of Justice to ensure its existence. Its status is not recognized by Parliament, and it could be abolished at any time.

This injustice to victims must stop, and the Leader of the Government in the Senate needs to tell us exactly when the new ombudsman will be appointed, as I requested on December 7, 2021.

Honourable colleagues, I ask you, on behalf of victims of crime, to come together and act to ensure that this position is filled without delay, so that victims can be represented within our federal institutions as they deserve to be.

Since their voices are not being heard at the other place, it is essential that the Senate bear the responsibility of representing them by sending a clear message of hope, a message assuring them that the upper chamber has not forgotten them.

Thank you.

[English]