Introduction

Services for victims of crime in Canada are primarily the responsibility of the provinces and territories, as well as those federal agencies that engage with victims of crime. Across the country, the underlying goals and principles of victim services programming are largely consistent, with their development having been guided by the Criminal Code of Canada, the Canadian Statement of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime that was first endorsed by Ministers responsible for Justice in 1988 and updated in 2003, and most recently, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. However, the specific type and focus of programs and services to meet the needs of victims of crime varies among the provinces, territories, and relevant federal agencies. These programs and services have gradually been developed in response to the specific needs, priorities, legislation, and available resources within each jurisdiction and federal agency.

In addition, depending on the structure of government and non-government organizations in each jurisdiction, the specific nature of services considered to be a “victim service” often varies. In one jurisdiction, some services important to victims of crime may be delivered by agencies that meet a wide range of human service needs (e.g. existing government departments such as social services, health, etc.), while in other jurisdictions, formal “victim services” agencies may be mandated to deliver a more comprehensive range of services to respond to victims’ needs. Due to the varying approaches to victim services and programs across the country, comparisons between and among jurisdictions is difficult.

This document focuses on the programs and services considered to be part of the formal victim services programming in each jurisdiction and related agencies that provide critical services to victims of crime. While specific programming varies, victim services across Canada can generally be described within four service-delivery models (Department of Justice Canada, 2015), although each province and territory utilizes a different combination of these models:

In addition to variations among the provinces and the territories, the nature and availability of specific services often varies within those jurisdictions, among communities depending on their size and location (i.e. urban, rural, northern, and remote areas). As well, each province, territory and relevant federal agency has a unique set of victim-related legislation, and a variety of training programs and standards regarding the delivery of victim services.

Victim services in the provinces and territories receive funding from a variety of sources, including victim surcharges paid by offenders. Victim surcharges are imposed as an additional penalty on provincial/territorial offences, above any other penalty that is imposed on the offender. Provincial and territorial surcharge structures and rates vary among the jurisdictions. The Federal Victim Surcharge Regime was amended in 2018 to provide for greater judicial discretion where it would cause undue hardship to the offender, or where it would otherwise be disproportionate to the gravity of the offence. Additionally, sentencing courts have the judicial discretion to increase the Federal Victim Strategy (FVS) where the court, having considered all circumstances, considers the increased amount appropriate and is satisfied that the offender has the ability to pay the higher amount.

Some provinces and territories fund victim services solely from surcharge revenue, while others supplement surcharge revenue with other funding. These differences, as well as the provincial/territorial surcharge structures and rates, are described in this document in the sections about victim services in each jurisdiction.

Beyond the victim services delivered by the provinces and territories, a variety of activities are undertaken at a national level to support victims. The Federal Victim Strategy (FVS), which is led by the Department of Justice (Policy Centre for Victim Issues) is the federal government’s coordinated response to ongoing and emerging victims of crime issues. The overall goal of the FVS is to improve access to justice for victims of crime. The Policy Centre for Victim Issues (PCVI) works with other federal departments and provincial/territorial governments in order to implement the Strategy, and consults with victims, victim advocates, law enforcement and other stakeholders. The Policy Centre for Victim Issues assists the Programs Branch at the Department of Justice in implementing the Victims Fund.

In addition to PCVI, several other federal departments also engage with and provide services or information to victims of crime. This includes the Public Prosecution Service of Canada through its Crown Witness Coordinator Program in the territories; Public Safety Canada’s National Office for Victims; Correctional Service Canada; Parole Board of Canada; and Employment and Social Development Canada through its Canadian Benefit for Parents of Young Victims of Crime. In addition, the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime is appointed by the Government of Canada to promote access to federal victims programs and services and address complaints relating to victims issues. This document also provides an overview of the mandate of each of these federal agencies.