During two or three days, and previously in other cities, we have looked at the issue of organized crime. Our government is going to table several pieces of legislation. The words we hear all the time are intelligence and information. Information is useful for rehabilitation but also for deterrence, because we need to know who we are dealing with.
We have heard representatives of various law enforcement organizations such as the police, the border agency, etc. As far as a young offenders are concerned, information is difficult to obtain. As a lawyer, I know how difficult it is. I wonder how you can succeed because, in many cases, when a young person receives an alternative sentence, you do not have the information you need to deal with him. If he is recorded for the first time in the system, he is considered a first offender. If the judge wants to have specific information about him, he cannot get it. If he does not have it, you do not either. So, you do not know how that young person is going to react and even if he is a member of organized crime or not.
There is also much information that we do not have. This morning, for instance, several aboriginal witnesses referred to the damage caused to their communities by residential schools. We know that there have been many problems with pedophiles in the residential schools but that does not appear in official statistics. Even I was not aware of it. I am discovering this little by little.
So, I need to know what you know and how I can help you or how you can help us because we do not have enough information. You work on the ground. You work hard and I encourage you to continue. However, there is a lack of information. I need information. How does organized crime control young people? We were even told that, in some cases, disclosing information helps organized crime because they can then exact revenge on those who betrayed them. So, there is a problem with disclosure of evidence. In many cases, it is dangerous.
Do you have any suggestions for us? We need you because you are our eyes on the ground, whether it be in institutions, in the RCMP or in municipalities. We need information because information relating to crimes — not to people... Improvement is not possible because you do not have information and neither do I.
My question is for Mr. Ferguson and for the gentleman from Winnipeg. What would you suggest we do?