Reaction to the draft regulation concerning assistance to crime victims

  • August 4, 2021
Corps

In a letter sent on August 2, 2021, to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Simon Jolin-Barrette, the Québec Ombudsperson commented on the draft Regulation to apply the Act to assist persons who are victims of criminal offences and to facilitate their recovery.

Ms. Rinfret applauds the will to change the scale concerning victims’ sequelae, which will no longer be based on earnings. This would rectify an inequality which the Protecteur du citoyen spoke out against in 2002. 

However, she pointed out that the draft regulation was published prematurely. She feels that it is difficult to analyze because the Act on which it is based is not yet available to the public. 

The Québec Ombudsperson also made nine recommendations, concerning, among other things:

  • Inequalities between the various victim categories regarding the number of psychotherapeutic or psychosocial rehabilitation sessions;
  • Suspension of loss-of-income compensation while victims are incarcerated, in detention or in prison without taking the victims’ dependants into account;
  • The notion of incapacity of a child, rarely applicable for people under age 18.

Letter by the Québec Ombudsperson concerning the draft Regulation to apply the Act to assist persons who are victims of criminal offences and to facilitate their recovery (PDF, 603 KiB, in French only)