Letter addressed to the Honourable Minister Fraser on Rethinking Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault
The Honourable Sean Fraser
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
November 21, 2025
Re: Rethinking Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault
Dear Minister Fraser,
On November 19, 2025, I released a report entitled Rethinking Justice for Survivors of Sexual Violence: A Systemic Investigation. As the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime, a critical part of my role is to identify and review emerging and systemic issues that negatively impact victims of crime and to recommend ways the federal government can improve the treatment of victims and survivors in Canada.
While we acknowledge much progress has been made to improve access to justice for victims of sexual violence, statistics show that only 6% of survivors report sexual violence. Those who do report continue to experience barriers, gaps, and violations of their victim rights, bringing the criminal justice system into disrepute.
This report examines how Canada’s justice system responds to survivors of sexual violence, identifies systemic barriers, and provides 43 actionable recommendations aimed at fostering a more compassionate, survivor-centred approach to justice. The recommendations are designed to strengthen access to justice, improve survivor experiences, and enhance public confidence in the justice system.
The report identifies 10 key ideas:
- Fully investigate sexual violence
- Minimize harm from R v. Jordan
- Better protect therapeutic records
- Humanize cross-examination
- Offer testimonial aids automatically
- Provide effective rights and representation
- Stop redacting victim impact statements
- Prioritize access to services
- Allow restorative justice options
- Collect (better) data for accountability
Given the importance of these findings, we respectfully request a management response from the Department of Justice to each of the 43 recommendations within six months of the report’s release.
Leadership and engagement are critical to ensuring that survivors of sexual violence are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect within Canada’s justice system.
We are also sending a copy of our report to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Safety, the Secretary of State (Combatting Crime), and the Minister of Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Our Office looks forward to continuing to work constructively with you and your team as you implement recommendations to improve experiences of survivors of sexual violence, to respect victim rights, and to re-establish trust in a system that is supposed to seek truth and protect victims.
We know that we can do better, and we are grateful for your commitment to better protecting survivors of sexual violence.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss our report in more detail with you at your convenience.
Sincerely,
//Original signed by//
Benjamin Roebuck,
Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime