Welcome, Mr. Minister. I would be remiss not to express my disappointment regarding the appointment of Mr. Sullivan, who is undoubtedly a competent individual, but this is the second time your government has appointed unilingual anglophones to important positions. I am putting the committee on notice that I will be introducing a motion to that effect. Mr. Rothstein, who has been appointed to the Supreme Court, does not speak French, nor do several ministers. Unilingual anglophones continue to be appointed to these positions, and I consider that shameful. I cannot understand that others do not share my concerns.
That said, it is not what I wanted to discuss with you today.
First off, there is some information I would like you to send us in writing. I am not expecting a verbal response from you, because these are rather technical matters, but I would like you to explain in writing the following: $12,274 was granted to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police for the Law Amendments Committee; the grant in support of the Child-centred Family Justice Fund and the grant in support of the Youth Justice Fund. Tell us in writing what these initiatives are meant to accomplish, how much will be granted per province and who will be using these funds.
Second, when we look at the department's overall operations, it is surprising to note a rather sharp increase in spending of $320 million. Perhaps that is good news if it amounts to additional services for people. I understand that out of these $320 million, approximately $100 million will be going to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. When your predecessor, who was also a unilingual anglophone, announced the establishment of an Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, there were some concerns. Some people wondered what the office's purpose would be given that all of the Criminal Code offences are under provincial jurisdiction while the federal government is responsible for specific legislation. Some wondered what the connection would be between the office you hold, as Attorney General of Canada, ultimately responsible for prosecutions, and that of the new director of public prosecutions. Please provide us with as many details as you can to explain how this money will be used. Aside from the appointment of the director—and we hope the position will be filled by a bilingual person—in what way will this tangibly serve the administration of justice?
Here is my second question. Some organizations are concerned. I know that you are very interested in a national drug strategy. I myself sat on the special committee which was created, on one of your former colleague's initiative, to address the non-medicinal use of drugs. Apparently, 73% of the $245 million earmarked for this strategy will be used for law enforcement purposes. Do you get the sense that this is a trend we should correct, so as to increasingly invest in prevention?
In summary, tell us about the director of public prosecutions and the national drug strategy.