Victims on short end of federal funding stick, ombudsman charges

By KATHLEEN HARRIS, Parliamentary Bureau Chief Toronto Sun

 

OTTAWA — The outgoing ombudsman for victims of crime says the federal government is “shortchanging” victims and should refocus spending that now has a “staggering” weight in favour of criminal offenders.

 

Steve Sullivan, who ends his three-year term this week, told QMI Agency in an exclusive interview the government has pared funding to victims programs and services while giving corrections a $200-million-plus “enhancement.”

 

“At a time when the government is making difficult choices about how to spend money, it is frustrating for me and disappointing that victims of crime are on the short end of the stick,” he said.

 

Millions have been cut in grants for services, groups and projects supporting victims, he said. While the Conservative government has presented many positive proposals to boost public safety, such as expanding the DNA registry and imposing tougher penalties, Sullivan worries these “tough on crime” measures are not making a real difference in the lives of most victims.

 

“By focusing solely on sending guys to prison longer, we’re not serving the majority of victims of crime out there,” he said. “We have to broaden our perspective of meeting victims’ needs and sentencing might be part of that, but it’s a very small part for most victims.”

 

Sullivan called the difference in spending on corrections compared to victims “staggering” and said the proportions speak volumes about what victims have been saying for years — that they feel marginalized by the Canadian justice system.

 

He has written a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressing appreciation for the opportunity to serve as Canada’s first federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, and calling on the PM to re-evaluate his government’s spending priorities.

 

“You can’t spend money in two places at once. If we’re spending it all in the corrections area to keep people in prison longer, then we’re not spending it to get kids off the street,” he said.

 

Even a small portion of the money going to prisons could fund a child advocacy centre in every major urban centre, help young people sexually exploited through trafficking and finance programs designed to prevent re-victimization, Sullivan said.

 

“... the stuff we hear every day on the phone is the needs of victims will not be solely addressed by having offenders stay in prison longer.”

 

Harper is set to help launch National Victims of Crime Awareness Week during an event with advocates with Justice Minister Rob Nicholson Monday.

 

kathleen.harris@sunmedia.ca