Thank you.
Thank you, Minister and officials, for being here today. We really appreciate it.
Minister, in 2007 the government announced the federal victims strategy and committed $52 million over four years to respond to the needs of victims of crime. As part of the economic action plan, Budget 2011, that strategy was renewed at a funding level of $13 million per year. Budget 2012 built on that funding by adding $7 million over five years, $5 million of which, as I understand it, will be directed to the creation and enhancement of child advocacy centres across Canada.
I went to the opening of one of those, actually, in Vancouver. It's very impressive what they're doing there to help children who are victims or witnesses of crime to not have to be overwhelmed by the system in which they find themselves.
With the new funding announced in Budget 2012, my understanding is the fund will have $11.6 million each year available to fund provinces, territories, and non-governmental organizations whose projects, activities, and operations support the objective of the federal victims strategy.
We would appreciate you giving us an idea of what that federal victims strategy includes.