Thank you very much.
I was among those who were very pleased to see the new horizons program expanded, so there is an educational component with respect to the abuse of seniors. There is an awareness campaign that is now eligible for funding under the new horizons program.
I believe I indicated to one of your colleagues here that I like the idea because seniors and seniors groups over the years are used to and are aware of that particular program. Sometimes it's easier to expand an existing program that people are already aware of than to start something completely new. I was among those who thought that was very appropriate.
Within the victims fund, which is financed through the government, we allow and accommodate those issues that can be specific to seniors, among others. We've encouraged them to make applications in groups and as individuals, to have a look at the provisions within that.
I said “Elder Abuse—It's Time to Face the Reality” is the national awareness campaign that uses advertisements to do this. This comes from the Government of Canada. It doesn't rely on people making an application or pulling together a funding request. It's an advertising campaign. Again, what I have heard back from that is that it's good in terms of what we're talking about here today, which is to raise awareness, get people involved, so they have a stake in this or they recognize it—that's the other part, that they recognize elder abuse when it is taking place.
What we are doing is not confined to changes to the Criminal Code, and as you know, this is the second one that we have brought forward that is specific to elders. But this is in conjunction with those other initiatives, and indeed the initiatives from our provincial and territorial partners, who are recognizing that this is an issue within their jurisdictions as well.
We all have a part to play, but it has to be a comprehensive approach, and I'm pleased that this particular piece of legislation is an important component of that.