Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Minister, you will surely remember that when you appeared before the Senate on March 30, 2022, you answered my question by stating that the RCMP was not above the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

As a reminder, my question was about the story of Francesca Savoie, a young 17-year-old who tragically lost her life in 2007 when her vehicle was hit head-on by a drunk driver who was being pursued by an RCMP vehicle. Francesca’s family has been waiting for 16 years for the RCMP to inform her of the circumstances of the accident that took the life of their only daughter.

In addition, I sent you two letters about this matter, dated April 13, 2022, and May 8, 2023, without receiving a reply or acknowledgement of receipt. Minister, why did you not answer my two letters and the appeal by the Savoie family, which is currently listening to us?

Will you do your duty as minister and meet with the parents of Francesca Savoie to ensure that the RCMP respects their right to information, which is enshrined in the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights?

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: Let me first say that my thoughts are with the Savoie family. Any time a family loses a loved one, it’s an unspeakable and unjust pain, even if there is a process in place based on good faith and on the values of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

I agree with you, Senator Boisvenu, and I will continue to believe that the RCMP is not above the principles of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. I am always willing to work with all Canadians, including the families of victims and the Savoie family, and to offer them my support during these painful times.

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Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Saturday will mark four years since the release of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Indigenous families want to know what happened to their loved ones, minister, just as any other family in Canada would. These families deserve answers and it is high time that the Trudeau government treated all victims of crime with respect. In both 2021 and 2022, I asked the Trudeau government what progress was being made by the RCMP in resolving these cold cases. I did not receive a satisfactory response but, frankly, that’s not surprising. Minister, what specific progress has been made in resolving the cold cases since the final report was released in 2019, and have any RCMP reviews resulted in arrests, charges laid or convictions?

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: First, Senator Plett, I want to begin by saying that I share your concern and the concern of everyone around any cold case because those women and those young girls deserve justice. And that was the reason why we created the MMIWG commission, which was a commission that had not been previously struck but one we did strike because we want justice for those victims and survivors.

As to the most recent status of any outstanding investigation and cold cases, obviously, those are questions best put to the RCMP or any other police jurisdiction who has the responsibility for carrying them out, and I’m happy to work with you, senator, to get the latest update on that. I know that our time is coming to a close here, but I do hope, Senator Plett, you will take the technical briefing on Bill C-21, which we have offered. It is important that we do this work together so we can save lives through responsible gun control legislation.