Thank you, Madam Chair.
My name is Jean Crowder, and I'm the aboriginal affairs critic for the NDP and the vice-chair of this committee.
Thank you for coming before the committee today and for taking the time.
I have a couple of questions. I found a report that was done back in 2001, a cost-benefit analysis on the programs run by your community. I want to put a couple of things on record about the effectiveness of your program. One was that for every dollar the provincial government has spent on the CHCH program, it would have had to spend $3.75 for pre-incarceration costs, that is, prison and probation costs. For every dollar the federal government has spent on that program, they would have had to spend between $2.46 and $12.15 on incarceration and parole costs. They estimated that this program saved millions of dollars in incarceration costs. The evaluation also indicated that the recidivism rates went way down. They said that in the 10 years they examined, only two clients reoffended.
Further on in the report, they talked about significant signs in overall health and well-being for the community, which included improved holistic health of children, more people completing their education, parenting skills, empowerment of the community, and so on.
Can you talk to me about the importance of long-term, continued funding for these kinds of prevention and restorative justice programs?