Bill C-238: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (restitution orders)

This bill primarily affects non-profit organizations and community service providers — such as emergency shelters, harm reduction centers, addiction services, victim support agencies, and similar front-line organizations — operating across all Canadian provinces. These organizations deal day-to-day with providing emergency medical supplies (like naloxone kits), running overdose prevention programs, offering counselling to staff dealing with workplace trauma, and managing security at their facilities. Under this bill, such organizations could seek court-ordered restitution from convicted traffickers to cover costs they incurred as a direct result of trafficking offences, including hiring additional staff, purchasing emergency supplies, and strengthening security. Organization size matters less than the nature of services provided, though smaller community organizations with tighter budgets would likely benefit most from being able to recover these costs.