I have so many suggestions.
I mean, when it comes to a hotline in particular—let's start there—there is an RCMP contact number for instances like this, and there's a CSIS contact number. The problem is that, when folks call in, more often than not they're shuttled around. We've heard this time and again from victims of transnational repression. They don't know who to call, and when they find someone to call, they get shuttled to the next line.
Beyond that, most lines that exist right now don't have sufficient language capabilities. None of the lines that exist have sufficient language capabilities. A lot of the complaint mechanisms lack confidentiality protections, which does not build trust to call in among communities that have been targeted. As well, again, the law enforcement, in a lot of cases, doesn't have the appropriate training.
This is not something that I've talked about so far in this committee, but I was also subject to a hacking in 2021, and I was also shuttled around different law enforcement agencies. I finally landed with the Toronto Police Service, and the person on the phone assumed that I was mentally ill. That's what it sounded like to me. Obviously, I'll never know for sure, but the way this person was speaking to me was very condescending, and it was very obvious, to me anyway, that they didn't believe what was going on and thought that I must be unwell to think that a state was hacking me.
In talking to my clients, this is a very common story. A hotline is all well and good, but if the folks operating the hotline aren't trained to deal with these types of instances, don't speak the languages of the folks calling in and aren't in power to give confidentiality, witness protection or anonymity, then what use is it?
I think you need to have a longer conversation about all of those initiatives and make sure they're really fit for purpose.