Federal victims' ombudsman Heidi Illingworth is speaking out against what she says are worrying gaps in proposed legislation around victims' rights in the military justice system.
Heidi Illingworth, federal ombudsman for victims of crime, takes part in an interview at her office in Ottawa on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019. Illingworth is speaking out against what she says are worrying gaps in proposed legislation around victims' rights in the military justice system.
The Trudeau government unveiled the declaration last May, three years after a similar bill of rights for victims, which specifically exempted the military court system, came into effect. "That's a huge gap," Illingworth said. "People who are highly traumatized, who have just had an experience with violence, just even deciding what is the next step that they want to take is really difficult."
The federal auditor general warned last fall that the military had failed to properly support victims of sexual misconduct, with military police often failing to provide information about services or updates on the case. "We can't leave it up to the goodwill of criminal justice system professionals to hopefully do this," she said.
It's Just 700 founder Marie-Claude Gagnon said it was surprising MPs from all parties did not do more to amend the bill after she and others testified to the Commons' defence committee about its shortcomings.
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