ST. JOHN'S, February 3, 2012 – The Government of Canada announced today funding towards enhancing services to victims of crime in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The announcement was made by Robert Goguen, M.P. for Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe and Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
"Our Government is committed to providing victims of crime with the voice they deserve in the criminal justice system,
" said Goguen. "We will continue to ensure that resources and programs are in place to meet the needs of victims of crime in Newfoundland and Labrador and across Canada.
"
Through its Victims Fund, the Department of Justice Canada will provide the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PLIAN) with $50,000 for the project "Reaching out to Victims of Violence: Using Webinars to Provide Legal Information to Service Providers." The funding will specifically assist PLIAN in developing webinar presentations for service providers in rural and remote areas of the province and to provide information on obtaining emergency protection orders and peace bonds for victims of violence.
"Our mandate is to educate the people of our province about the law,
" said Maria Kyriacou, Executive Director of PLIAN. "PLIAN will use this funding to equip service providers with the legal knowledge they need to educate and assist victims of crime in Newfoundland and Labrador. PLIAN's partnership with the Government of Canada will thus support victims of crime in our province.
"
The funding was made available through the Victims Fund, a grants and contributions program administered by the Department of Justice Canada. The Fund currently has a budget of $10.2 million per year to give victims of crime a more effective voice in the criminal justice system.
More information about the Victims Fund and the Government's approach to victims of crime can be found at the Department of Justice Canada's website.
Backgrounder: Funding for the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
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Ref.:
Julie Di Mambro
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621
Media Relations
Department of Justice
613-957-4207
