By Canadian Press

‘Vital’ victims of crime ombudsman job still vacant after nine months

Jul 4, 2022 | 11:03 AM

OTTAWA — The federal government has now left a key victim-rights watchdog role vacant for more than nine months.

There has been no federal ombudsman for victims of crime since Oct. 1, and the Department of Justice only launched an application process for the job at the end of February. 

Conservative senator and longtime victim-rights advocate Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu recently criticized the delay in filling the “vital” advocacy position.

Boisvenu told a House of Commons committee in June that an ombudsman could have been a strong voice for victims’ families during the ongoing inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting.

Heidi Illingworth, the most recent person to hold the job, had made comments critical of the government and said the implementation of the 2015 Canadian Victims Bill of Rights has been “sporadic and inconsistent.”

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A press secretary for Justice Minister David Lametti says the work to replace Illingworth is ongoing and it will happen “in due course.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2022. 

The Canadian Press