As I understand it, all of the $1 billion in savings have been reallocated in those areas to ensure that those kinds of needs are met. In the literacy area, for example, $81 million is going towards actual literacy programs, as opposed to lobbying groups.
The court challenges program is an interesting example. I believe in the budget there was about $5 million a year, yet no one is able to tell me who got the money. I first asked who got the money years before I was even in the federal government. When I made those kinds of inquiries, they said “I'm sorry, we can't tell you because it would violate solicitor-client privilege.” That was the grossest abuse of solicitor-client privilege I had ever heard of in my life.
For example, when someone is on a legal aid certificate, that's well-known. The source of the funding doesn't in any way violate solicitor-client privilege. So not only did we not know who was getting the money because the group said they couldn't tell us, but we didn't know the criteria under which that money was spent.
If we're going to go down that road in any way, the people who actually receive the money...we have to be clear about that. It has to be open and accountable. Secondly, the criteria.... Those were the fundamental two flaws in the court challenges program that I experienced. It may only be $5 million, but that's a lot of money to many people.