Mr. Speaker, we support the bill. We support the principle of providing support for victims. There is no doubt about that. However, we have also asked a number of questions and as yet have not had the kinds of answers that should be forthcoming in terms of this legislation.
We support the bill, but we have seen a number of cases where bills that we have supported in principle have been poorly drafted. In a number of cases, because of court actions, the government has had to redraft the work that was not necessarily effectively done in the first place. We would like to get it right from the start. However, we have concerns around the fact that the government is bringing closure and has not been able to answer a number of questions that have been asked by members of this House.
Particularly in light of some of the concerns coming from the provinces, we have seen significant cutbacks in crime prevention programs, which has meant that municipalities and provinces have had to fill the void where the federal government has simply not provided the funding that is necessary.
Can the member respond to the questions about the downloading to provinces? We want to make sure that this legislation is done effectively.