Thank you.
Thank you, gentlemen, for coming here today.
I think the subject is a very important one. I also think that in Quebec, in fact, and I am from the province of Quebec, this is also a very important and very current subject, these days.
First, I would like to congratulate you. It is very much to your credit that you have recently carried out a huge police operation in the Montreal region, and I think we are starting to score points. But the question we have to ask is: how can we facilitate your work to be sure that we, the public, feel safe in terms of your method of working?
I would like to ask Mr. Bartlett a first question, since he might be able to answer it a little more easily. The question was asked directly by Mr. Lemay, about membership. Membership has to be proved. If a criminal organization is put on a list, membership has to be established, and you in the police have seen, there are a lot of criteria.
Would it be possible to do something in terms of evidence to facilitate the work of Crown prosecutors, for example, by having what is called a "reverse onus"? An indictment could say that a particular person is a member of a particular organization, and the accused would have to prove otherwise. That doesn't mean the problem would be solved. I know you have already thought of this, I know there have already been reverse onus provisions, and I know that sometimes judges do it to facilitate the prosecutors' job. Have you thought about that possibility?