Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Dr. Shaw, for your attendance here today.
I notice some of your international experience. You say there need to be targeted initiatives, but it takes all levels of government, including non-government agencies.
My background is in policing. You mentioned how policing needs to be about more than just enforcing the laws; it needs to be integrated into the community. I'm sure you are aware that every Canadian police organization has community-based policing as the methodology of their delivery of policing services.
Near the end of my career my background was in bringing in programs. Some of the programs that policing is actually involved in have an integrated component, like the DARE program that works with the local health units, other organizations, and the Cancer Society to teach youth that you don't need to have drugs and alcohol, including tobacco, in order to have fun. I'm sure you're aware of those programs.
Going back to your international experience, one of the programs I worked on near the end of my career was on restorative justice. It comes from the Maori Indians in New Zealand, and is successful in treating not only young people but also adults. We need to look at other countries, as you mentioned, but we also need to congratulate ourselves and not get too hung up on that. People need to look at the things we do.
Recently in my own community, as a result of the government's drug treatment and crime prevention strategies, not an insignificant amount of money went to our local health unit. That flowed to one of the local youth services groups called Rebound Child & Youth Services. It put the health unit at the disposal of the local high schools and primary schools. If a student--or a parent for that matter--came to them and said they think they have a problem with drugs, or they tried some marijuana and they're not too sure, they've heard it's not bad for you, and then somebody else would say no, it's not good for you, they could go to health care professionals.
I wonder if you have had any experience in those realms in Canada. We adapted the DARE program, which actually came from the street and gun crimes gangs--the tattooed-type of people you were talking about in California. It grew and is very successful.