Other government departments, offices and services for victims

The Parole Board of Canada

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) does not make decisions on parole. The Parole Board of Canada is an independent administrative tribunal that, as part of the Canadian criminal justice system, makes quality conditional release and record suspension decisions, and clemency recommendations.

The Parole Board of Canada board members are the primary decision-makers in conditional release decisions and are independent in their decision-making. They are required to make decisions that are:

The Parole Board of Canada has a team of regional communications officers (RCO) in each region to provide information and services to registered victims. These officers:

RCOs also:

For more information

The Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime

The Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime is an independent resource for victims in Canada. The Office was created to ensure that the federal government meets its responsibilities to victims of crime. Victims can contact the Office to learn more about their rights and the services available to them. They can also make a complaint about any federal legislation or agency that deals with victims of crime.

Contact information

PO Box 55037
Ottawa ON K1P 1A1
Toll-free line: 1-866-481-8429
Outside Canada: 613-954-1651
Teletypewriter (TTY): 1-877-644-8385
Email: victimsfirst@ombudsman.gc.ca
Web: http://www.victimsfirst.gc.ca

The Policy Centre for Victim Issues

The Policy Centre for Victim Issues within the Department of Justice Canada implements the Federal Victim Strategy. It gives victims an effective voice in the criminal justice system. It develops policy and criminal law reform, administers the Victims Fund and shares information about issues that are important to victims of crime.

Registered victims can apply to the Policy Centre for Victim Issues at the Department of Justice to receive financial assistance to attend the hearings of the offender who harmed them.

Contact information

Policy Centre for Victim Issues
Department of Justice Canada
Toll-free line for Travel to Parole Board of Canada hearings: 1-866-544-1007
Fax: 613-954-4893
E-mail: victimsfundmanager@justice.gc.ca
Web: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/victims-victimes/aboutus-aproposdenous.html

National Office for Victims

The National Office for Victims is a central resource working to improve victims’ experience in the federal corrections and conditional release system. They have published a Sentence Calculation Booklet that provides information about how sentence dates for federal offenders are calculated. This booklet is available on their website:

Provincial and territorial governments’ Victim Services

The Correctional Service of Canada is the federal government agency responsible for administering sentences of adult offenders who have been sentenced to a term of two years or more, as imposed by the courts. The Correctional Service of Canada’s Victim Services provides information to victims of federal offenders (i.e. offenders serving a term of two years or more).

Provincial and territorial corrections are responsible for young offenders and adult offenders who have been sentenced to under two years. To find out more about services available to you if you have been a victim of a provincial/territorial offender, please visit these links.

In addition, most provinces and territories offer additional services and assistance programs to victims of violent or personal crimes.

Community-based victim services and victim advocacy groups

There are many local community-based victim services and victim advocacy groups across Canada working to offer support and help victims address various concerns. You can find your local victim services agencies through:

Services for Indigenous victims of crime

Indigenous people, in particular Indigenous women, are more likely to be victims of crime.

CSC provides information sheets in numerous Indigenous languages and tailors its outreach in specific ways to reach Indigenous communities, recognizing that each community is distinct.

CSC is always looking for ways to partner with Indigenous organizations to ensure Indigenous victims know that they can register to receive information and exercise their rights under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. Some of the groups that CSC collaborates with, and who can offer additional support to Indigenous victims include:

CSC welcomes other interested groups to contact its victim services office to learn more about possible partnership and outreach activities, at:

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