Mr. Burchill, I'm sure that you're familiar with the investigation that I referred to. It aired on Radio‑Canada on November 16, 2023. The investigation showed that border officers often witness human trafficking, but that Canadian legislation doesn't let them search a vehicle.
We heard from RCMP officer François Paquet. He found himself in front of a rental car from the Toronto area filled with people who spoke neither English nor French. They had arrived in Canada through the Vancouver airport a few hours earlier, and they ended up at the border between Quebec and the United States. The driver and front passenger were Canadians, with no apparent connection to the other passengers. All signs pointed to smugglers heading for the United States. However, the police had to let the vehicle go without searching it, since no illegal act had been committed at that time.
Sadly, these migrants were arrested the next day while trying to cross the border on foot. The smugglers had vanished with—I'm guessing—a fairly substantial amount of money.
Are many officers witnessing human trafficking these days, and yet, despite their good intentions, as Mr. Paquet said in this investigation, they can't do anything about it because of Canadian legislation?