Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my understanding of the level of services provided by this program is pretty minimal already. I am not sure if you are, by looking at it, going to find a room there that shows where the cost driver is, not anything that you would have any control of cutting, I would not think.

What I am saying is, already the cases that get approved for legal aid funding in the cases of criminal files, these clients will get the services that they need to defend themselves in the court procedure. Then for the family cases, I recall that the hours the lawyers are allowed to work on these files are very minimal. I would not think that you would find too much work in there that could be cut or anything like that. There is already a six-to eight-month waiting period. I think that these are cases where a lot of times, it is single mothers who are leaving abusive relationships or who are trying to get child support or something like that.

These are cases that really need some help and the lawyers are already providing the services at a very minimal pay level. They are really providing this almost as a volunteer service.

I find it curious that the Minister is saying our program up here is so much better than the rest of the country. I do not know. I think it is a question of a lack of money. I do not know if you need to get a study to tell you that.

Could the Minister clarify why he cannot identify the problem now? Does he not realize now without the study that it is the lack of money that is causing problems? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.