Nunavut prosecutors evaluate work of 6-month sexual violence team

It’s been six months since Nunavut’s sexual violence investigation team took office, and those behind the team say they’ve made great progress.

Emma Baasch, the team’s senior advisor, said increased communication with other agencies such as Victim Services and the RCMP is crucial.

Another priority, he said, is to contact victims much earlier.

Anne Crawford is an attorney with the Iqaluit Law Chambers.

He said victims he had spoken to in the past sometimes went months without getting anything from Crown attorneys.

“It’s very scary and many cases have been withdrawn due to lack of contact with Crown counsel who are a known face and person,” he said.

But now Baasch said the team of six attorneys is proactively reaching out to other agencies to get the information needed to initiate legal action sooner.

“Now, the criterion is 10 days (after arrest), and in general we manage to do this every time,” Baasch said.

Contact witness coordinator

The first person victims often hear from is Crown witness coordinators such as Jimmy Paton.

He is one of nine people attached to the sexual violence investigation team.

Its mission is to build trust, especially among Inuit. That’s why he said he started by introducing himself rather than moving on to direct questioning.

“Our native language is strong, and sometimes they trust other Inuit,” he said.

“It’s very important because we’re the ones going out into the community and we’re talking to them about very personal things.”

Because Nunavut’s communities are so remote, victims often have “nowhere to hide,” he said. So a big part of her job is to make sure victims are safe throughout the process.

“Our concern is whether someone heard it or whether the defendant was there.”

Two years of the NWT team

A special sexual violence team has been operating at the NWT Prosecutor’s Office since May 2022.

The two-person team will increase to three in the new year.

Federal attorney general Alex Godfrey said it was a priority to keep the same attorneys and witness coordinators on the sexual violence case, even as his office experienced staffing changes.

“It’s important to only be able to tell your story once, to tell your story to one person and not have to relive the trauma,” he said.

He adds that the prosecutor’s job in sexual violence cases has become more difficult in recent years due to “a huge change in the way sexual violence is investigated.”

For a start, there are more applications for the Crown and defense lawyers to use text messaging or online messaging to protect complainants at hearings.

“This will involve presenting the views of both the accused and the victims to the court,” he said.

“Most of the changes are positive… but they increase the complexity of the issues.”

Crawford believes dedicating dedicated staff to sexual violence cases could help with these delays, but a “wholesale Canadian review of evidence laws” may be needed to address the deeper issue.

Cases of sexual violence are decreasing

Ultimately, the aim is to reduce the number of sexual violence cases.

Stephanie Boydell, the Nunavut team’s lead attorney, said it requires a multi-agency approach. However, they can play a role in this by initiating stronger investigations as the sexual violence investigation team.

“The message to the community is that we will not tolerate this type of behavior,” he said.

“We hope that a year from now, when some of these cases go to trial, we will see the benefits of a stronger investigation that will lead to a stronger investigation.”

Crawford said it will take time to create a change in attitude about how cases of sexual violence should be handled.

“We have to hold the crown to what they tell us they did,” he said.

“This isn’t short term, it’s long term.”