It certainly is a program and an idea, in my opinion, whose time has come. You would be aware, in your experience as a member of Parliament, that there are many groups, organizations, and offices that advocate for different causes, in this community and across Canada.
I think the idea of having one office at the federal level—and I appreciate that there are provincial roles in this area, but having a federal office of an ombudsman that will deal with issues as they relate to victims' rights is a good idea. In addition, funding the victims' fund.... Again, it seemed to me when we had a look at this that it was overdue to put in more money, quite frankly, and that's the fund that would assist individuals, the people who are victims--for instance, getting to parole hearings. So having a wider range, as to how many individuals and how they get there...we've expanded that, but we also have this office.
It's a new office, as you know. We only made the announcement in the spring—I believe it was April when we came forward with this. I could be off the date a little bit. In any case, to get this up and running will take resources, and again, coupled with the victims' fund, I think these are both steps in the right direction.