Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm disappointed to hear that. I knew the minister had other plans at noon, but I was hoping we'd have the officials join us so we could go into more detail on this important aspect of the budget and the spending of government. I think we all understand that the question of parliamentary oversight of budgetary matters is now under active consideration.
An hour to deal with a question of $694 million of expenditures and possible changes in a lot of programs is not an adequate role for parliamentarians. Nevertheless, we will make use of the time we have.
I'll start, Mr. Minister, by asking about one of the programs you mentioned in your opening remarks, and that is the aboriginal justice strategy. Last year, by the last figures that are available, there were 144 programs involved in this aboriginal justice strategy serving approximately 400 communities. As you noted, the five-year funding is expiring at the end of March.
You've indicated very positive comments about the value of this program. I guess what you're saying is to wait and see what's in the budget.