Frequently Asked Questions

If you or someone you know has been a victim of crime, you may have many questions about how to get help, about the criminal justice system, or about programs and funding available to support victims of crime. The following Frequently Asked Questions can help you get the answers you need.

I am a victim: How do I get help now?

If you are in need of immediate assistance, call your local emergency services or dial 911.

I am a victim: where can I find services and assistance?

We also invite you to explore this website for more information about what the Government of Canada is doing for victims of crime.

I have been victimized outside of Canada: how can I get help?

Emergency financial assistance is available to Canadian citizens victimized abroad, or their family members where the victim is dead, ill or incapacitated, who are faced with unusual or extreme hardship due to criminal victimization, where no other adequate source of financial assistance is available.

Can I get financial assistance to attend a Parole Board of Canada hearing?

The Victim’s Fund offers financial assistance to victims who wish to attend Parole Board of Canada hearings for the offender who harmed them. Financial assistance is also available for a support person to accompany victims to hearings or to provide child or dependant care to enable victims to attend hearings. Find out more about financial assistance for victims to attend Parole Board of Canada hearings .

What is the Policy Centre for Victim Issues?

The Policy Centre for Victim Issues works toward improving the experience of victims of crime in the criminal justice system by:

The Policy Centre is part of Canada’s Department of Justice.

Can I receive financial compensation for my crime-related injuries from PCVI?

The Policy Centre for Victim Issues does not provide criminal injuries compensation to victims of crime. In Canada, the provinces and territories have primary responsibility for the delivery of victim services, including the provision of criminal injuries compensation to victims of crime, where such programs exist. For information on the services provided to victims of crime in your province or territory.

What is the Victims Fund?

The Victims Fund is a grants and contributions program administered by the Policy Centre for Victim Issues within the Department of Justice. The Fund currently has $11.6 million a year available to improve the experience of victims of crime in the criminal justice system. Find out more about the Victims Fund.

Who can apply for project funding from the Victims Fund?

Individuals, organizations and governments can apply for Project Funding under the Victims Fund:

Find out more about applying for Victims Fund Project Funding.

I have a project that I would like to start: can PCVI provide funding?

The Victims Fund provides funding through grants and contributions to support projects and activities that encourage the development of new approaches, promote access to justice, improve the capacity of service providers, foster the establishment of referral networks, and/or increase awareness of services available to victims of crime and their families.

Project Funding

The Victims Fund also provides funding to support National Victims of Crime Awareness Week activities.

What is National Victims of Crime Awareness Week?

Recognized across the country every spring, National Victims of Crime Awareness Week raises awareness about victim issues and about the programs, services and laws in place to help victims of crime and their families.

National Victims of Crime Awareness Week

How do the federal, provincial and territorial governments work together to provide services to victims?

The federal government and the provincial/territorial governments share the responsibility to respond to the concerns of crime victims and their role in the criminal justice system.

The federal government’s responsibility toward victims of crime focuses on: criminal law reform of victim-related provisions in the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act; Parole Board of Canada policy permitting victims to submit and present victim impact statements at parole hearings; prosecution of Criminal Code offences in the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut and the provision of court based victim-witness assistance; limited assistance to Canadians victimized abroad; and the ongoing mandate of the Policy Centre for Victim Issues (PCVI), including the administration of the Victims Fund.

The provinces and territories are primarily responsible for the delviery of services for victims of crime. All provinces and territories have passed legislation for victims of crime, and each has established different models for the delivery of services to victims in order to best suit the needs of victims in that province or territory.

I have more questions: how can I contact PCVI?

We invite you to contact us at:

Policy Centre for Victim Issues
Department of Justice Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1A 0H8
Fax: (613) 952-1110
E-Mail: webadmin@justice.gc.ca

If you wish to contact other key parts of the Department of Justice Canada, please go to Contact Us.