I've touched on a couple of the different issues. Certainly one of them is my and the government's support of drug treatment courts. That was recognized and accommodated within Bill C-10. The drug treatment courts help those individuals who unfortunately have become addicted. They get involved with the criminal justice system, and this gives them an opportunity to get the rehabilitation they need and avoid the consequences of a criminal conviction.
As you know, this is part of an ongoing program we have, the national anti-drug strategy. A part of that program is to try to educate people to get the message out that drugs are dangerous and this is not an area individuals should involve themselves in, and if they get involved with it, they should get treatment. But certainly the drug treatment courts are a part of that.
The bill you raised, Bill C-10, which was passed last night and is on its way for royal assent very quickly, is also focused on the gangs, the organized crime, the people who are in the business of trafficking. For instance, it makes specific references to people who bring drugs into Canada. Many times these people are importing death into this country. For instance, we know of the deaths caused by the individuals who bring ecstasy into this country, particularly out in western Canada—British Columbia and Alberta. We all know examples of individuals who have brought these drugs into Canada, and this has resulted in the unfortunate deaths of a number of individuals.
That being said, what I have been told over the years by law enforcement agencies is that the people who bring drugs into Canada are not the individuals I identify who could benefit from drug treatment court or the individuals who were experimenting. They tell me this is organized crime; these are gangs that bring these drugs into Canada. These are not one-offs. These are sophisticated operatives. So the provisions of Bill C-10 target those types of individuals who are involved with this kind of activity, and it sends a message to them that if they are bringing drugs into Canada they will be facing jail time. That is what they're going to get if they get caught. I want that message to get out. I hope the message that they shouldn't do this gets to them, that they should get out of this kind of activity.
That being said, if you do bring drugs into Canada, there are serious consequences. As you say, that is captured in Bill C-10, but Bill C-10 goes beyond that. As I said in my opening remarks to you, it does accommodate the drug courts, which I support. Again, we want to help that individual who has unfortunately become addicted, but at the same time we want to send a clear message to drug traffickers that this is not to be tolerated in Canada.