In 1984, Cliff and Wilma Derksen’s 13-year-old daughter Candace was abducted and murdered. The case was not solved until 2011. Below are excerpts of Wilma’s presentation to a parliamentary committee considering Bill C-10 in November 2011. She speaks of her ongoing work with other victims of crime:
“Two weeks ago I was with a group [of victims] that spent most of the evening analyzing the problems of our justice system. At the end of the evening, I asked them what they would do to create justice in our country.
“I expected that they would suggest changes to our criminal justice system similar to the bill we have before us today. I thought they would prioritize safety at all costs, propose stiffer sentences and advocate for more victim rights.
“They didn’t. While not denying that we have to maintain prisons, they insisted that we, as a society, need to put our energy and creative thinking into giving our young people a better education.
“I’m thrilled to report that this past February we saw our own case finally brought to justice. For the first time we heard the story. But sentencing of the man who murdered our daughter did not satisfy our deep longing for justice.
“In some ways we had already found justice in the joy of the good things that had come out of Candace’s death and in the support of our community of friends.
“The trial brought out the truth, and it was the truth that healed us and set us free, not the sentencing. I still find no satisfaction in thinking that the man will be sitting in prison for the next 25 years. There is nothing life-giving about that. It is just sad.
“As the minister of justice rightly noted earlier this week, beyond legislative initiatives such as Bill C-10, the Government of Canada is funding many creative, community-based justice initiatives that address the root causes of crime, support victims of crime and help ex-offenders reintegrate into the community. I would ask that you assign a greater proportion of your attention to this good work.”
Derksen
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