Mr. Chair, indeed, the hon. member has raised this matter with me. I have asked both my department and officers of the force to follow up with him directly in relation to a specific situation.
There is absolutely no question that, especially in this modern world of high tech policing, resources are absolutely key for the force to do what it needs to do to protect Canadians here and protect people globally, to do our share around the world, be it the fight against international crime or international terrorism.
We have seen over the past five years a remarkable increase in the budget of the force from some $1.8 billion in 1998-99 to now some $2.9 billion, over a billion dollar increase in the past five years. I believe that we have acknowledged the new demands on the force and the complexities of modern policing.
Having said that, I have asked that the force follow up directly with the hon. member. Clearly, he and I have talked about this. Obviously, the drug lab situation is, as he explains it, a matter of federal policing. The RCMP polices in 8 out of 10 provinces under contract and to increase resources as it relates to contract policing requires a request from the provincial solicitor general or attorney general, whoever may be responsible for the force in a given province.
We have seen recently in Alberta the solicitor general indicating that he would like to see an increase in the force of 123 members. That request comes from the province and then we work on that request together.