Let me offer you a different thought on this. If I were to express the concerns that lead to non-participation among the students I've dealt with—who are a very, very elite group in Canada—I would say that the environment is one concern, and that they don't see the government doing what they think should happen. Another one—and I recognize this is a very contentious issue—is that 60% to 80% of my students have indulged over the years in the recreational use of prohibited drugs. And it doesn't make them feel any allegiance to the system to have something they consider an innocent pastime treated as a criminal offence. Putting it another way, 60% to 80% of my students over the years have been “criminals”. They just haven't been caught or punished. What I'm saying is that this leads to alienation from the system, for better or worse.
I'm not going to offer any solutions, but I'm just saying that it's that kind of thing that, to my mind, creates this problem. That's just an example—because there are many other things that do it too.
Thank you.