Editorial
The proposed Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, introduced in Parliament this month, is an important and long-overdue step in striking a new and improved balance between the rights of accused persons and the rights of victims.
Although violent crime has declined across Canada, including in Alberta, over the past decades, there are still far too many cases where victims seem to take second place to the rights and privileges of criminals.
While accused persons should and must have their rights guaranteed when it comes to receiving fair treatment under the law, victims too must have their rights guaranteed and protected.
Key parts of this new legislation include the following:
• The right to information about the status of the investigation and the criminal proceeding, as well as information about reviews while the offender is subject to the corrections process and information about the decisions made at those reviews.
• The right to have their security and privacy considered by the appropriate authorities in the criminal justice system.
• The right to protection from intimidation and retaliation.
• The right to convey their views about decisions to be made by authorities in the criminal justice system that affect the victim's rights and to have those considered.
• The right to have the courts consider making, in all cases, a restitution order against the offender.
“The rights of criminals have received far more attention than the rights of their victims," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper. “Justice is not only for the accused, it is also for the victims.
"Victims of crime deserve and should have a right to information, a right to protection, a right to participation, and where possible a right to restitution.”
Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the official Opposition NDP, reportedly says he is reviewing this proposed new Canadian Victims Bill of Rights before committing himself to it.
Hopefully Mulcair, and all other MPs for that matter, will come down onside with this legislation and ensure it is passed into law without undue delay.
In this case, the victims of crime and their families, including those in West Central Alberta, as well as the general public, will be expecting and insisting that parliamentarians put their differences aside for the larger public good.
Once passed this new Canadian Victims Bill of Rights should help redress the current unacceptable situation where criminals come first and victims are all too often made to settle for second best.
