Mr. Speaker, this is a response to a question asked by Mr. Dent on the 10 of September, in regard to victims of crime. The Victim Impact Statement pilot project has been in place in nine communities in the territories, since the summer of 1991. Victim Impact Statements may be reviewed by a judge when sentencing an offender who has pleaded guilty, or has been found guilty of an offence following a trial.

The statement allows a victim to put information before the court about the harm or loss he or she has suffered as a result of an offence. These statements do not prevent victims from having to testify at trial. As well, during the sentencing process, when Victim Impact Statements are used, a victim may be liable to cross-examination on the content of the statement, if it is disputed by defence counsel.

It is the victim who must assess the impact of an offence on him or her, for the completion of a Victim Impact Statement. This is a very personal matter and the forms are only filled in by the victim on a voluntary basis. A rationale for the implementation of this project is to make the criminal justice system more accountable to victims.

This pilot project was implemented to allow the department to identify difficulties that may be encountered, in advance of any large-scale implementation. A recent assessment based on telephone interviews with players relevant to this project indicates that relatively few victims are making use of the opportunity to make Victim Impact Statements. In order to determine what factors have kept victims from using the program, it will be necessary to continue the pilot project as originally scheduled until the end of December. Thank you.