It’s been six months since Nunavut’s sexual assault prosecution team launched, and those behind it say they’ve made some big strides.

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

Another priority, she said, is contacting victims much earlier.

Anne Crawford practices as an attorney at Iqaluit Law Chambers.

In the past, she said victims she spoke to sometimes did not hear from their Crown attorneys for months.

“It’s very scary and many cases have been dropped because of a lack of connection to a Crown attorney with a familiar face and person,” she said.

But now, Baasch said the six-lawyer team is proactively reaching out to other agencies to get the information they need sooner to begin the legal process.

“Now, the benchmark is 10 days (after an arrest) and we generally manage to do that every time,” Baasch said.

Liaison with a witness coordinator

The first person those victims often hear from are Crown witness coordinators like Jimmy Paton.

She is one of nine dedicated to the sexual violence prosecution team.

Her job is to build trust – especially among the Inuit. So instead of going straight to the questions, she said she starts with an introduction about herself.

“Our mother tongue is strong and sometimes they trust other Inuit,” she said.

“This is very important because we are the ones who go into the community and talk to them about very personal things.”

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

“Our concern is that someone overhears … or if the accused is there.”

Two years of the NWT team

A dedicated sexual violence team has been established in the NWT DA’s office since May 2022.

The team of two will expand to three in the new year.

Alex Godfrey, the chief federal prosecutor, said keeping the same attorneys and witness coordinators in a sexual assault case is his priority, even as his office undergoes personnel changes.

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

Prosecuting sexual violence cases has become more difficult in recent years, he adds, because of a “big change in the way sexual violence is prosecuted.”

For starters, there are several apps for Crown and defense lawyers to use text or online at trials that are designed to protect litigants.

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

“Many of the changes are positive … but they add to the complexity of the issues.”

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

Reducing cases of sexual violence

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

Team Nunavut lead prosecutor Stephanie Boydell said this requires a multi-agency approach. However, as the sexual violence prosecution team, they can play a role in this by launching stronger prosecutions.

“The message (it will send) to the community is that we will not tolerate this type of behavior,” she said.

“Hopefully a year from now, when some of these cases go to trial, we’ll see the benefits … of a stronger investigation leading to a stronger prosecution.”

Crawford said creating a change in attitude about how sexual assault cases should be handled takes time.

“We have to hold the Crown to what they tell us they are doing,” she said.

“This is not short-term, this is long-term.”