Recognition for CAVAC Services in Quebec

On January 24, 2018, the Director of the Department of Justine and Correctional Services, Donald Nicholls, took part in the celebration marking the 30th anniversary of the creation of the CAVAC (Crime Victims Assistance Center) which are there to help public overcome the physical, mental and social consequences of crime.

During this special event, the current Minister of Justice Stephanie Valle expressed her appreciation for the work of the Cree CAVAC services in Quebec. The Minister highlighted that it was one of the last areas of Quebec to develop these services, and it had a vast area for the services to be provided over. In 2009, the Department of Justice and Correctional Services hired its first of eventually three CAVAC officers to deliver specialized services in Cree to crime victims or witnesses and to their family, regardless of whether the perpetrator of the crime has been identified, arrested, prosecuted, or convicted. The three Cree CAVAC Officers serve the nine communities of Eeyou Istchee, and while they have offices in three of the communities - they spend over 100 days a year traveling to the other six communities. The objective that it gives support and a voice to a victim or witness of an act fits well within the traditional and holistic approach of helping communities and families heal. A system to be answering the needs of a community must be inclusive in its processes.