Thank you very much.
First of all, I really want to thank the witnesses who came today. You have all been quite amazing, just your knowledge about this issue, and particularly to Ms. Small, who's come to tell us about the experience in the United States. I think it's so important that we understand what this bill is about, and that there has been a whole lot of experience. We should be learning from that and not repeating it.
You heard from Mr. Ménard that the Bloc doesn't support this bill, and it won't be any surprise to you to learn that the NDP does not support this bill for all of the reasons that you've given. In fact, we voted against it at second reading. So I feel we're at this very critical point. We can all do the math in this room. If there were three parties opposed to this bill, we could defeat it.
I've been listening very carefully to the questioning. I am very concerned, just hearing the questioning about the drug courts and that somehow this is the saving grace of this bill and that maybe we should be supporting it. I'm really actually speaking to my colleagues here in the Liberal Party. This bill is about mandatory minimums; it's actually not about drug treatment courts. That's been thrown in as a little caveat that maybe will make it slightly more humane. If we want more drug treatment courts, if that's the course of action that the government wants to take—and I don't happen to support them for the reasons that are being given--we could easily do that. It doesn't have to be through this bill. So I want to put that point out there.
The question that I really want to bring out, and maybe ask people to elaborate on, is who this bill is intended for. I think we'll hear from the Conservative members that this is about getting tough on these gangsters and the big dealers. It's about going after those guys, and it's not intended to go after you or you. But the reality is so much different in terms of who it really is directed to.
So to hear from VANDU, in terms of who you think this bill will really target, is very important. If you would like, say some more about that, and the same with anybody else who has anything they would like to say--Deborah as well. Maybe I'll just put my question to Ms. Livingston or Mr. Lampkin and Ms. Small. If this bill passes--I was going to ask who are the victims of it--who is it targeted to? Is it the kingpins--are those the people who are going to get caught--or is it the person on the street?