Thank you.
For decades, Canada was a prolific exporter of marijuana. Organized crime has moved into the production of much more serious drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine. The discovery of super labs in B.C. is emblematic of this evolution. Canada now has the unenviable reputation of being an exporter of deadly drugs, primarily to Asia and Australia.
Unfortunately, it is difficult for police and prosecutors to maintain complex prosecutions. Well-intentioned judicial decisions have all but tied the hands of police and prosecutors through onerous disclosure requirements, which run up against restrictive time limits for prosecutions. For example, in British Columbia, there are virtually no prosecutions occurring for money laundering. There is a plethora of reasons why criminal investigations and prosecutions are much more difficult to undertake in Canada than in the United States.
Closely allied to the foregoing is the security of our borders, which literally define Canada. We need a secure border strategy to put criminals and others on notice that we are no longer easy prey.
Securing Canada's border starts with our leaky ports. We have no dedicated police in our ports. The Ports Canada police was abolished in 1997, replaced by fences, cameras and security guards. Inadequate resourcing of the RCMP has resulted in a dramatic decrease in its ability to undertake controlled deliveries of illegal substances.
The CBSA has a minuscule capacity to examine the millions of containers entering our ports, many of which are then transshipped by rail or truck to the United States. The merger of CP Rail and Kansas City Southern now makes it easier for cargo to transit from Mexico to Canada and back. While the United States has a dedicated border patrol, Canada relies on the RCMP to provide border coverage as an adjunct to other pressing policing duties.
Members of the committee, the status quo is untenable. Simply throwing more money and resources at the problem is like adding furniture to a sinking ship. We can do better. This will require political and bureaucratic will, but most of all, a national strategy to deal with the crisis on our streets. We must no longer be a patsy for organized crime, allowing it to traffic drugs and launder the proceeds. That strategy must involve the federal and provincial governments and include a strong enforcement component.
Thank you. I'm most pleased to answer any questions that you may have.