You asked about tools.
The current federal proceeds of crime legislation doesn't work for us. I think the most offensive part of the legislation is that defence lawyers get first crack at the money. An accused person is charged with an offence. For the money we seize, the defence lawyers get access to the funds. By the time we go to trial, there's no money.
We don't seize. The only thing we seize at all now is either cash or automobiles that can be easily disposed of. If an organized crime gang owns a business or a golf course, it's not in our best interests to get involved. It's happened before. The organization lost money, and then we were sued because we didn't run the golf course properly.
In B.C. we've reverted to provincial civil forfeiture laws. We simply sue the offender, go after him, and seize the money.
The money that's seized on federal proceeds of crime does not flow back to the municipalities. It means I can put forward as much as I want to in terms of my resources to do an investigation. Once the federal proceeds of crime experts come in, the clocks are ticking, and they get paid. At the end of the day, no money flows to me.
I'd like to have additional funding. There are provisions—