CANADA
The Chronicle Herald
Let’s start with good news, which should not be overshadowed.
An appalling oversight in otherwise excellent new legislation passed just last fall divided sexual assault victims in Nova Scotia into two uneven — and hence unfair — classes.
The Limitation of Actions Act, introduced by the Liberals, removed the statute of limitations for victims of sexual crimes who wished to pursue civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers. The legislation, however, only applied going forward, not retroactively.
That meant people who’ve claimed past abuse, like the men who say they were sexually assaulted decades ago by Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh, were denied the same right to sue.
But on Thursday, thankfully, Justice Minister Lena Diab promised to amend the act during this spring’s legislature session to, in effect, fix that flaw. The change — which will remove the statute of limitations even for past victims of sexual crimes — will mean a “victim of sexual assault, regardless of when it happened … can launch a civil claims suit,” said Ms. Diab.
Though many will want to see the details before fully celebrating, we welcome the government’s announced decision to make the law retroactive. It was the right thing to do.
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