(Montreal) Precipice, aberration, psychological and financial distress. At the dawn of October 14, exasperation is gripping many victims of crime, who will see their income replacement benefits end due to the CAQ government’s reform.
The Coalition Avenir Québec adopted in 2021 a reform of compensation for victims of criminal acts (IVAC), which, among other things, canceled the list of eligible offenses so that now all offenses against the person listed in the Criminal Code are covered .
However, the new law, the Act to assist persons who are victims of criminal offences and to promote their recovery (LAPVIC) also introduced a maximum deadline of three years for the benefit compensating for loss of income. The previous law did not provide for any deadline.
At a press conference in Montreal on Sunday, senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, lawyers Sophie Mongeon and Marc Bellemare, and Émilie Arsenault, whose two children were murdered four years ago, once again denounced this deadline, which they described as arbitrary and “historical hindsight”. They are asking the Quebec government to reconsider its position.
Émilie Arsenault received a letter from IVAC confirming that her services will end next October. She claims that the reform of the IVAC will make her a victim for a second time.
The Association of Families of Murdered or Disappeared Persons, which helps victims of criminal acts, believes that the entire mission of the organization is falling through with the entry into force of this deadline. The organization considers this change as a process of re-victimization for its members and confirms the feeling of abandonment and helplessness that has reigned since the CAQ government’s announcement.
