A bill to require judges in Canada to receive sexual assault law training is being revived by the Trudeau government.
It was former Conservative MP Rona Ambrose who first introduced her private members bill in 2017 in an effort to give victims of sexual assault the trust they need in order to report it to authorities.
“So this bill is really a small part of a puzzle that we need to continue working on to build that confidence in our justice system so more people come forward and report their sexual assault or sexual abuse,” says Ambrose.
She says the bill is also a promise to sexual assault victims “that if they actually have the courage to report” the crime against them, and “if they in fact get to trial that the person presiding over their case actually is competent in sexual assault law.”
Justice Minister David Lametti explains the bill is designed to treat sexual assault victims with what he calls “the respect and dignity that they deserve.”
