Overhaul set for fund for parents of crime victims

OTTAWA • The federal government will announce on Friday an overhaul of a fund for the parents of missing and murdered children that has paid out only a tiny portion of its budget to date.

Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos is increasing the funding available to parents who are unable to work because of the death or disappearance of a child through the Parents of Murdered or Missing Children grant. The government will also expand the grant by increasing the age limit for young victims and extending the period in which parents can receive funds. As part of the overhaul, which will take effect in the fall, the program will be renamed the Canadian Benefit for Parents of Young Victims of Crime.

“Losing a child is one of the worst things a parent can experience, which is why this grant is so important,” Duclos said in a statement. “These improvements will mean that more parents can get the support they need while they take time away from work to focus on their family.”

The grant came into effect under the Harper government on Jan. 1, 2013, with the Conservatives estimating that the budget of $10 million

MORE PARENTS CAN GET THE SUPPORT THEY NEED WHILE THEY TAKE TIME AWAY FROM WORK.

a year would help 1,000 families annually. But fewer than 75 applications have been received since then, and just over half of those have been eligible for funding.

As of April, the government had paid out just over $400,000 of the $53 million available — less than one per cent of the total budget.

Under the new rules, the age limit of young victims will increase from 18 to 25, and parents will be allowed to work up to 20 hours a week while receiving the grant. The funding is reserved for parents of children who have been victims of a crime, but parents will no longer have to attest that their child was not a willing party to the crime to receive the grant.

Parents will now be eligible for weekly payments of $450 for up to 35 weeks for a total of $15,750, up from $12,250. They can also receive the grant in the first two years after the offence, up from one year.

However, the government doesn’t expect the grant’s $10-million budget to be paid out in full, even with ongoing efforts to increase awareness of the program. It’s estimating the grant will help about 250 people a year after the changes take effect, which would still amount to less than $4 million annually.