Louis Sebert

Yes. Of course, with the RFP, we were always aware of constraints on time that we needed to have something in place by July 1st. There initially was, of course, no applicants to our RFP. We then went out to NGOs. We are speaking to the John Howard Society, and it was their wish should they decide to take this up, which they did, that they be given a lengthy contract so that they would have some certainty for the future. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my left is Leanne Gardiner, director of community justice and policing. To my right is Deputy Minister of Justice Martin Goldney.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No, this program is not going to be available to those either serving sentences or in remand. After all, they are both in custody, and in fact, the program was never meant for those groups. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am not aware of any escape clause. One of the things that NGOs generally want is a long period of the contract in length to last for a significant amount of time so they can have certainty in their plans going forward. Of course, contracts can be amended if both sides agree at any time, but I am not aware of any "out" clause but again, I have not seen the contract myself. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, we are going out to the communities and seeking their engagements. We really want to hear from them. We do not have any preconceptions as to how this legislation should be crafted. We are hoping to hear from various interested parties, in particular those small communities where this issue is certainly to be of great concern.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is quite correct. Time is running out, and that is why it was necessary for us to move quickly on this. There is an evaluation process, and we are confident that the provider will live up to expectations. If they do not, then would be in breach of the contract. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I could commit to give the Members a response by the end of next week.

I don't have those exact figures before me. I believe they did meet a large number of times, and I will attempt to obtain those figures and provide them to the Member opposite.

We did receive the letter. However, we found it absolutely necessary that we move ahead. As mentioned earlier, there was a very extensive report done on the program. It did suggest several changes that we did not see as terribly significant to the overall program. At that point, obviously, there were parties that were not particularly happy with the new RFP, including the previous provider. Therefore, to make sure that the program would still be delivered, we looked to other NGOs, and as I said earlier, the John Howard Society, an organization that has existed in Canada for 150 years, stepped...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. An actual contract has been entered into. Thank you.