I think it's very important to have administrative penalties. It's also important that the investigation and administration of penalties stay within the commissioner's jurisdiction. As soon as she's required to pass on a file to another body, such as the RCMP, that file will be subject to that body's rules and priorities. Again, I think there are very few infractions that the RCMP is going to have to concentrate on and investigate and decide to prosecute.
The 70% increase that we saw in British Columbia when our investigative powers and administrative penalties were granted is evidence that lobbyists were taking their responsibilities seriously.
It's been a year since we were given these new powers. We haven't issued any administrative penalties yet, but we have 16 active investigations under way. In the coming weeks you will see some findings. I think these kinds of infractions are better dealt with in-house and with administrative penalties.