Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I just want to say that it is fortunate that we do not do our household budgets the same way the government does its budget. I honestly think that we would all end up bankrupt. I personally like to have a budget. It helps me see where I am going and what I am going to spend money on.
Over the past few years, we have been led to review the main estimates. The government starts by tabling a budget and then the main estimates are revised three times. At the end of the year, we look at what happened. It is not easy to ensure consistency.
I don't know how each of you manage to do a good job in your departments with the funding you receive and to conduct your activities in line with bills that might change the situation in midstream.
As you so well said, Mr. Pentney, if the Canadian victims bill of rights is passed, it will clearly have a financial impact. If a number of other pieces of legislation are passed, there will be consequences, which will force us to make changes, without forgetting about the existing programs already in place. Think about the people who deal with the Minister of Justice and are making requests for those programs.
I have met with groups that do an outstanding job on the ground to help victims. Here are some of the issues they are dealing with:
human trafficking, supporting victims and survivors, Inuit women and girls who have been trafficked in Canada, Justice Canada's victims fund, denied; understanding the vulnerabilities of Inuit women and girls to violence, Justice Canada's access to justice fund, submitted for 2014-15, denied.
I do not know how we go about coming to an arrangement with the department on this.
Yesterday in the House, I asked the minister a question about the Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court. Basically, the minister’s reply was that he believed in it, but, as for all programs, the government was in the process of reviewing it.
How long will you be in this review process? How are you conducting the review? Let’s say that you decide to continue, where is the budget to do so? I do not see it anywhere.
I am a little concerned about how you find money and how you say no to groups. We need some general clarification about this. How long are you going to think about it before you renew budgets as a result?