Madam Speaker, first of all I want to answer a question that the hon. member from the NDP raised, asking who can receive the services I talked about earlier. It is in Health Canada's definition. It involves the family of former students as defined as a spouse or common law partner, those raised by or raised in the household of a former Indian residential school student, and any relation who has experienced the effect of intergenerational trauma associated with the family member's time at an Indian residential school. It is quite inclusive.
I would like to thank the hon. member for his speech. I can tell that he is passionate about the issues that are important to aboriginal people.
The member mentioned in passing that $45 million does not mean much. The government can accept that, but in all the many appearances I have had before the standing committee, I have never yet heard a recommendation from the opposition to cut one dollar of a single program of any kind anywhere in Canada. So these are difficult decisions.
I ask the hon. member to look at what we are talking about: cultural supports that involve ceremonies, prayers, traditional healing, with aboriginal mental health workers to work with former students and their families. I would argue that this, combined with many other programs that are not strictly this one from Health Canada, are meant to address both community needs and individual needs. My hope is that people will look through the services available and understand it is a complete package of services available to all survivors.