Thank you very much.
I'd like to talk about the financial aspect, because that's been mentioned several times.
Under the main estimates for 2009-10, your office, the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, was allocated $1.295 million; and in 2010-11, $1.309 million. So you have just about a 2% increase. But from 2001 to 2006, under the heading “Grants for the Victims of Crime Initiative”, there was a five-year program by the previous government of $2 million per year.
Would you not agree there was a change in some of the nomenclature of where we put the money? The “Grants for Victims of Crime Initiative”, the way it's expressed in the estimates in 2006-07, went from $2 million to $2.6 million—which is included in the envelope of victims funds—and in 2007-08 to $2.75 million, and in 2008-09 to $8.6 million. So there were some significant increases in that budgetary envelope—granted, this year the estimates are $5.25 million, still far in excess of the $2 million in 2005-06.
The problem with numbers and different budgets in different places is that we can swing them all around. I want you to comment quickly on whether the above is accurate or not.
Of course I come from the provincial side, and I can tell you that in 30 years, up to 2000, the Province of Ontario provided tremendous funding for victims' organizations. I think of one that covers at least half my riding; it used to be called VCARS. Policemen now actually call people to the scene who are volunteers funded by the province.
We can't just take what the federal government does separately. Have there not been increases in funding for victims? Could you comment on that?