Mr. Speaker, the first point is that this bill does not talk about punishment, and I regret that the member opposite missed the basic thrust of the bill.
Transfer payments to the provinces will total $62 billion this year, which is nearly a 50% increase since 2006, when we formed government. It is our intention to strike a better balance between the need to protect society from those who pose a significant risk to the public and the need to treat the mentally disordered accused appropriately.
Our government continues to place a high priority on mental health initiatives. Our achievements include establishing the Mental Health Commission, investing over $376 million in mental health research and continuing to work with the provinces. Mental health issues have been a focus of co-operative work among federal, provincial and territorial ministries of justice and public safety.
In a meeting in November 2012, the ministers acknowledged that persons with mental health issues present significant challenges for the justice system, and especially for corrections systems. They agreed that close collaboration is required between jurisdictions to better address the needs of the mentally ill.
We continue to take concrete steps on the issue of mental health in prisons. Since 2006, we have invested nearly $90 million in mental health for prisoners.