Traditional methods of addressing crime, such as police and incarceration, are vital. Without question, we must get tough with those who break our laws, and our fight against organized crime is a testament to that fact. They are things to which no community in Canada is immune, and they are factors that can place individuals, and young people in particular, at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system. Working in partnership with Canadians, communities, and the provincial and territorial governments, we are coming to grips with these factors. Yet, the challenge is great.
Crime carries a heavy burden.
While a dollar figure cannot readily be placed on the personal costs of crime, we know that victims and their families pay heavily in too many ways. More broadly, crime, and the fear of crime, robs us of our freedom and diminishes our quality of life. There are instead many possible answers. Through this fund, we are working towards improving the experience of victims of crime in the criminal justice system. Too often, victims have said that they were left standing outside looking in at the justice system, when in fact they have an important role to play.