Justice Committee on Dec. 10th, 2013

[Pierre Jacob, NDP, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Thank you.

I will now hand the floor to my colleague Mrs. Sellah.

[Djaouida Sellah, NDP, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Jacob.

My thanks to the witnesses for coming today. My thanks also to the committee for welcoming me; I am not usually a member.

I know that the problem of tobacco smuggling is complex and that it crosses national and provincial borders as well as aboriginal territories. Do you collaborate with the RCMP in your investigations? Do you think that Bill C-10 will allow for greater collaboration between the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police? If so, what form will it take?

[C/Supt Gary Couture]

At the moment, we collaborate with the RCMP in a major way. The team in Cornwall is made up of about 50 officers, most of whom are RCMP. We have 12 officers assigned to the operation. We work with the RCMP a lot. I mentioned the boat incident a few weeks ago. That case was handled in partnership with the RCMP.

If an incident occurs on the border with Quebec, we work with the Sûreté du Québec. We work with them very well too.

We collaborate with the American authorities on the New York side.

We work a lot with the City of Cornwall Police Service, especially when incidents occur on the north side of the bridge. I feel that the cooperation between the various police forces in the area is very good in our region, as it is all over Ontario. I do not want to talk about the western region very much, but I know that the situation is the same around the Six Nations of Grand River territory, for example. There is the will to keep working together.

As was said earlier, we also depend on all the organizations that are working hard in education, prevention, health, and so on. It is important for that to continue.

In a word, we have very solid partnerships.

[Djaouida Sellah, NDP, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

You have strong collaboration with the RCMP, but what impact will Bill C-10 have on that collaboration? Will it make it even stronger?

[C/Supt Gary Couture]

Bill C-10 will give us another tool. When officers stop someone in possession of contraband tobacco or cigarettes, they will have a choice. That person might have to face a criminal charge. We have talked before about this change in perception: it is a criminal offence now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Thank you.

Thank you, gentlemen, for your presentations and your answers today.

As the committee you should know, just as a reminder, that at 8:45 on Thursday morning we're meeting at Centre Block. We're doing clause-by-clause then.

Mr. Storseth, do you have something to add to the committee today?

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Is it too early to move a motion to have Mr. Brown as chair of the justice committee?

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

He doesn't want to meet Thursday.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Ah, is that what it is.

Thank you very much.

With that, the meeting is adjourned.