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The first witness in the Ghomeshi trial, Linda Redgrave, said she thinks her case would have gone much differently if she had had legal advice before reporting her case to the police, but she doesn’t believe this project goes far enough.

“Given what I went through, four hours will give you enough to say your name, tell your story, and ask a couple questions. It won’t do much,” she said.

Anne London-Weinstein, president of the Defence Council Association of Ottawa, is also skeptical of the project, but for different reasons. She said the money allocated to the project could be better spent elsewhere in the justice system.

“Complainants in sexual assault cases already have quite a bit of support,” she said. “Maybe those people (who provide support) can be better trained, I don’t know, but there are people that are dying in jail. There are needs that are so dire and limited resource dollars.”

Redgrave said she would like to see the criminal justice system reformed to deal with sexual assault cases using principles from restorative justice. Complainants now may retain lawyers to advise them outside of the courtroom, but only the defence lawyer and the Crown prosecutor have standing in the courtroom.

“You’re completely alone on the stand,” says Redgrave. “Marie Henein has 25 years’ experience, and I have zero. So it’s just me, a lay person, against her. It’s ridiculous to have a victim witness being attacked by a seasoned professional.”