Thank you, Mr. Murphy.
Absolutely. Any effort to try to streamline the process surrounding the application of this piece of legislation, section 467.1, which defines organized crime, would be welcome. There's a reluctance across the country, unfortunately as much from a law enforcement standpoint as a justice standpoint, towards applying or using the provisions found in that legislation.
There are a number of factors, but it's mostly because of the burden of proof, the requirements in the burden of proof that we're held to in order to prove that the organization being investigated does in fact fall within the parameter of a criminal organization. I think there would be a benefit to looking at this.
The review should also consider the possibility of looking at the need to avoid duplication. Presently, if we have a prosecution in a specific area that looks at identifying a specific group as a criminal organization, and there's another prosecution somewhere in the country or even in the same jurisdiction, we have to go through the same mechanism again, even though the group was recognized as a criminal organization. We have to re-initiate the process, which is, in my humble opinion, pure duplication.