ABSTRACT
In England and Wales, a rapidly expanding National Association of Victims Support Schemes repeatedly petitioned an apparently unresponsive Government for funding. This chapter explores contrasts between the early stages of Canadian and British policy formation, concentrating on a number of clear themes which have arisen, some peculiar to the evolution of policies for victims, others of more general application. Throughout, it views policy-making through the lenses provided by two special histories which may not have been at all “typical”. It is more than possible that other histories would have given other foci. In Canada, criminal justice policy-making seems to be inordinately difficult. The country is geographically vast, the second largest in the world, and it is beyond the reach of a single Ministry in Ottawa to monitor and manage everything that happens in Vancouver, Moose Jaw or the Yukon.
