Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime
A systemic complaint: Statistics Canada will not release twelve figures on victims aged 16 and 17; a recommendation and an entry in the annual report.
The letter ·
Systemic issue - Canada set the age of protection at 16 years in 2008 and has not measured the effect on children aged 16 and 17 since
Hello.
Attention: Benjamin Roebuck, Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime.
A federal agency will not produce the measurement of sexual offences against children aged 16 and 17. Without it Parliament cannot see the effect of a law it passed in 2008. This is a systemic issue within your mandate.
THE LAW AND THE GAP.
Parliament raised the age of protection from 14 to 16 years by the Tackling Violent Crime Act, S.C. 2008, c. 6, sections 13 and 54, in force 1 May 2008 by SI/2008-34. Children of 16 and 17 were left outside that rule. They keep only the narrower protection of section 153 of the Criminal Code.
The single published figure showing who offends against victims of 16 and 17 is that 82 percent of accused persons were over the age of 18. It was published in 2014, on 2012 data. Statistics Canada told me in writing on 16 September 2026 that its experts know of no update to it.
Table 35-10-0217 stops at the age group of 17 years and younger. For 2024 it records 24,505 victims of police-reported sexual offences in that group, which is 67 children a day, and 20,171 of them are girls. The table cannot separate the children of 16 and 17, and the same letter confirms that a user cannot disaggregate beyond a published table.
WHAT I ASKED FOR, AND WHAT HAPPENED.
On 12 September 2026 I narrowed my request to 12 numbers. Victims of police-reported sexual offences, Canada as a whole, 1 victim age group of 16 and 17, by 2 accused groups of under 18 and 18 and older, for each year from 2019 to 2024.
Statistics Canada has given 3 incompatible reasons in 7 days: disclosure risk, then the volume of work with a purchase agreement required, then that no determination can be made until experts extract the microdata, which would take 2 to 3 weeks.
No section of the Statistics Act has been cited. The only disclosure prohibition there is subsection 17(1)(b), which bars disclosure that makes information relatable to an identifiable person. An age group of 16 and 17 for Canada as a whole names no one. A rate of 102.82 dollars an hour has been quoted with no estimate of hours.
More detail than I asked for is already in print. In catalogue 85-002-X, article 54981, Table 1 publishes victims by single year of age, and Table 4 crosses victim age with the age of the accused. My request is coarser than both, and Statistics Canada sent me that article as a resource.
WHAT I ASK YOU TO DO.
Take this up as a systemic issue and recommend that Statistics Canada release the 12 numbers.
Put in your annual report to the Minister of Justice that Canada set the age of protection at 16 years in 2008 and has not measured the effect on children of 16 and 17 since.
Tell me in writing whether you take the matter on, and if you do not, the reason.
The file is escalated to the Chief Statistician of Canada, the same records are before the Access to Information and Privacy Office of Statistics Canada, and the Information Commissioner of Canada is next.
67 children a day are recorded as victims. Canada cannot say how many of them were 16 and 17, or who did it.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban
The answer ·
Dear Danilo,
Thank you for taking the time to write and for clearly outlining your concerns about the lack of publicly available data on sexual offences against 16–17‑year‑olds. We recognize how troubling it is to see such a significant gap in measurement, especially when it affects Parliament’s ability to assess the impact of its own laws.
Our Mandate
The Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime is an independent federal body with a mandate to:
* Provide information about victims’ rights under federal law, including the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights;
* Review concerns about how federal criminal justice agencies (such as Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board of Canada) uphold and implement victims’ rights; and
* Identify systemic issues that negatively affect victims and bring those issues to the attention of federal decisionmakers.Limitations to our role
* We do not have direct oversight over Statistics Canada or its decisions about data production, disclosure, or cost‑recovery;
* We cannot direct Statistics Canada to release particular statistics or intervene in access‑to‑information or microdata‑access processes;
* Disputes about access to records under the Statistics Act or the Access to Information Act fall within the mandates of the Chief Statistician of Canada and the Information Commissioner of Canada, which you have already identified.For these reasons, our Office cannot compel Statistics Canada to produce or release the numbers you have requested, nor can we adjudicate the reasons they have provided to you.
Our Systemic Work
That said, the systemic concern you raise does engage broader questions about:
* how victimization of older youth is understood and tracked;
* how policy‑makers and legislators can evaluate the impact of changes to the age of protection; and
* what information is available to support the development and monitoring of victim‑centered laws.Within our mandate, we can:
* Note and track this issue as part of our ongoing consideration of systemic barriers affecting victims and survivors of sexual violence, including youth; and
* Consider, as we plan future systemic work and reporting, whether and how this concern can be reflected in our communications with federal decision‑makers, including in our annual reporting where appropriate.We encourage you to continue pursuing the pathways you have already identified through the Chief Statistician of Canada, the Access to Information and Privacy Office at Statistics Canada, and, if necessary, the Information Commissioner of Canada as these are the bodies with formal authority over the matters you describe.
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention, and I recognize the effort and persistence it takes to press for better information in an area that is as sensitive and critical as sexual violence against children and youth.
Warm regards,
The answer ·
Dear Danilo,
I apologize for any misunderstanding my earlier email may have caused and I want to clarify my wording.
When I wrote, “We recognize how troubling it is to see such a significant gap in measurement, especially when it affects Parliament’s ability to assess the impact of its own laws.” I was acknowledging that I understood your frustration. I was not confirming your statement nor making a statement on behalf of my office or on behalf of the government of Canada.
I apologize for not making that distinction more clear in my original wording.
Our Mandate
The Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime is an independent resource for victims of crime in Canada. We promote access to federal victim services, review fairness in services, and ensure policymakers understand the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (CVBR) and systemic issues affecting victims and survivors.
We also document complaints and we have the ability to conduct systemic investigations under the lead of the ombudsperson.
Record Management
Our records management system does not assign a unique file number to individual client records. Files are indexed and identified by the client’s name and surname.
Letter Request
Our office cannot serve as a formal conduit or proxy for submissions that are intended for other institutions; therefore, any documents that you wish the Minister of Justice (or any other agency) to review must be sent directly to that office or agency. We also cannot write or submit a letter on your behalf.
Reporting and public documents
The contents of our annual report and any other formal reports or recommendations are not available publicly until those documents are finalized and officially released.
The decision about what issues and recommendations appear in those reports and in Parliament rests with the Ombudsperson, in line with our mandate.Our role specific to your concerns and requests
The role of our office and what we can do within our mandate limits are outlined in my previous correspondence.
You can find further information about our mandate and processes here: Public Bill (Senate) S-265 (44-1) - First Reading - Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime Act - Parliament of Canada<https://www.parl.ca/documentviewer/en/44-1/bill/S-265/first-reading>;.
I hope this clarifies my previous wording and the limits of our Office’s mandate.
Thank you,
The answer ·
Dear Danilo,
Thank you for taking the time to write and for clearly outlining your concerns about the lack of publicly available data on sexual offences against 16–17‑year‑olds. We recognize how troubling it is to see such a significant gap in measurement, especially when it affects Parliament’s ability to assess the impact of its own laws.
Our Mandate
The Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime is an independent federal body with a mandate to:
* Provide information about victims’ rights under federal law, including the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights;
* Review concerns about how federal criminal justice agencies (such as Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board of Canada) uphold and implement victims’ rights; and
* Identify systemic issues that negatively affect victims and bring those issues to the attention of federal decisionmakers.Limitations to our role
* We do not have direct oversight over Statistics Canada or its decisions about data production, disclosure, or cost‑recovery;
* We cannot direct Statistics Canada to release particular statistics or intervene in access‑to‑information or microdata‑access processes;
* Disputes about access to records under the Statistics Act or the Access to Information Act fall within the mandates of the Chief Statistician of Canada and the Information Commissioner of Canada, which you have already identified.For these reasons, our Office cannot compel Statistics Canada to produce or release the numbers you have requested, nor can we adjudicate the reasons they have provided to you.
Our Systemic Work
That said, the systemic concern you raise does engage broader questions about:
* how victimization of older youth is understood and tracked;
* how policy‑makers and legislators can evaluate the impact of changes to the age of protection; and
* what information is available to support the development and monitoring of victim‑centered laws.Within our mandate, we can:
* Note and track this issue as part of our ongoing consideration of systemic barriers affecting victims and survivors of sexual violence, including youth; and
* Consider, as we plan future systemic work and reporting, whether and how this concern can be reflected in our communications with federal decision‑makers, including in our annual reporting where appropriate.We encourage you to continue pursuing the pathways you have already identified through the Chief Statistician of Canada, the Access to Information and Privacy Office at Statistics Canada, and, if necessary, the Information Commissioner of Canada as these are the bodies with formal authority over the matters you describe.
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention, and I recognize the effort and persistence it takes to press for better information in an area that is as sensitive and critical as sexual violence against children and youth.
Warm regards,
The answer ·
Dear Danilo,
I apologize for any misunderstanding my earlier email may have caused and I want to clarify my wording.
When I wrote, “We recognize how troubling it is to see such a significant gap in measurement, especially when it affects Parliament’s ability to assess the impact of its own laws.” I was acknowledging that I understood your frustration. I was not confirming your statement nor making a statement on behalf of my office or on behalf of the government of Canada.
I apologize for not making that distinction more clear in my original wording.
Our Mandate
The Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime is an independent resource for victims of crime in Canada. We promote access to federal victim services, review fairness in services, and ensure policymakers understand the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (CVBR) and systemic issues affecting victims and survivors.
We also document complaints and we have the ability to conduct systemic investigations under the lead of the ombudsperson.
Record Management
Our records management system does not assign a unique file number to individual client records. Files are indexed and identified by the client’s name and surname.
Letter Request
Our office cannot serve as a formal conduit or proxy for submissions that are intended for other institutions; therefore, any documents that you wish the Minister of Justice (or any other agency) to review must be sent directly to that office or agency. We also cannot write or submit a letter on your behalf.
Reporting and public documents
The contents of our annual report and any other formal reports or recommendations are not available publicly until those documents are finalized and officially released.
The decision about what issues and recommendations appear in those reports and in Parliament rests with the Ombudsperson, in line with our mandate.Our role specific to your concerns and requests
The role of our office and what we can do within our mandate limits are outlined in my previous correspondence.
You can find further information about our mandate and processes here: Public Bill (Senate) S-265 (44-1) - First Reading - Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime Act - Parliament of Canada<https://www.parl.ca/documentviewer/en/44-1/bill/S-265/first-reading>;.
I hope this clarifies my previous wording and the limits of our Office’s mandate.
Thank you,