I will start with the funding issue. As you pointed out, it's the biggest issue right now. I don't know what the amount would be. Thomas Axworthy has said $100 million for human trafficking initiatives is required. I think that sounds like a reasonable figure. It certainly sounds round, and I'm not sure what went into that.
We would propose that the best use of the funds would be to go back to that three-point framework. The money should ideally be following the victim. That's what you want to do in any social program. It's very difficult to do in something like health care where all Canadians are involved, but in something like human trafficking, where we're actually only talking about maybe 25 to 30 victims in the first year, the guidelines are up and operating. That's how it's played out in Australia and the United States. You should essentially have packages for various victims. Some victims will require a work permit and housing; others who want to be returned home as soon as possible will not. That program needs to be developed, and this office can play a role in that.
Sufficient funding for that could easily come from that $100 million. We're not actually talking about a lot of money when it comes to the victim assistance side. That's a bill the federal government could opt to fill, but certainly under its jurisdiction it wouldn't be required to.
On the prosecution side, it's only a drop in the bucket if you're just dealing with victims. Here's how your criminal justice system would work. For people who commit murder, a break and enter, and shoplifting, we're not going to send them to court any more. All we're going to do is say to someone, did you have your car broken into? Come to the government, we'll help you fix it. If someone was killed, we'll give you some counselling. No, don't worry about the murderer who's on the street or the person robbing your houses.
That's essentially what's going on right now with respect to human trafficking, not for any lack of hard work by the law enforcement agencies. They've seen it and they've told us they're not properly funded to do this. That's a huge piece, and it is probably the biggest dollar amount required with respect to getting into these organized criminal networks.