Mr. Speaker, for months now we have been demanding that the solicitor general restore funding to the RCMP so that they can do their job properly.
There have been stories of reduced drug operations, parked and damaged patrol cars, the grounding of aircraft and boats, and unacceptable responses to citizen complaints.
We have another one for the list. In Surrey we recently lost three of our nine school liaison officers; that is, one-third. According to the RCMP the officers were redeployed to other areas because of a staff shortage brought on by a lack of funding and a shortage of new recruits.
Three of our schools recently had bomb threats. A recent survey of students found that 44% were concerned with drugs, 41% complained of fighting and 31% found bullying to be a problem. Now we lose one-third of our liaison officers.
Maybe the solicitor general would like to explain to my constituents how his government can bankroll pornographic films while their children's safety is being put at risk through lack of funding.
Surrey now has 16 vacancies and that number is expected to rise to 23 by the end of the summer. We are tired of hearing about reviews and studies. We want the problem to be fixed.