I do. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I apologize for not being there in person today.
For those of you today who might not be familiar with the Canadian Police Association, we are the national voice for 41,000 of Canada's front-line law enforcement personnel. We represent police personnel serving in 160 police services across Canada, from Canada's smallest towns and villages to those working in our largest municipal and provincial police services, as well as members of the RCMP, railway police, and first nations police.
It's my pleasure to be able to speak to you today regarding Bill C-26. I would like to offer a few brief opening remarks in order to keep as much time as possible to answer any questions you might have regarding this legislation and the impact it will have on Canadian law enforcement personnel.
Obviously the December 2009 case of Toronto store owner David Chen showed that Canada's current laws regarding the right of citizens to effect an arrest in order to protect themselves or their property required some consideration. That being said, we should always take care to underline, particularly for the sake of public safety, the fact that the preservation of the public peace should always be the responsibility of professional, trained, and recognized law enforcement personnel.
I should note that before Bill C-26 was originally introduced in the last Parliament as the former Bill C-60, the Minister of Justice and his department consulted extensively with our association and other law enforcement stakeholders to ensure that our concerns were reflected in this legislation. We appreciate their efforts to reach out in this regard, and as always we look forward to further cooperation whenever it's possible.
With respect to this specific legislation, our association is generally supportive of the goals and methods contained within Bill C-26. I would like to take this opportunity, however, to outline a few brief concerns.
Obviously, law enforcement personnel are the beneficiaries of a significant amount of training in areas such as the proper use of force, methods of detention, and arrest powers, which average citizens are not privy to. Therefore, it's vitally important that we continue to educate the public that despite any changes to the powers of citizen's arrest in Canada, the first reaction people should have if they witness a crime being committed is to call the police and allow our law enforcement professionals to do the jobs they're trained to do.
We should also take care that any changes made within this legislation do not have the unintended consequence of broadening the current mandate of private security, particularly with respect to loss prevention in commercial settings. While I am sympathetic towards store owners and businesses that wish to minimize losses with respect to the very real concern of shoplifting, which costs us all in the long run, we must take care not to go too far in the pursuit of protecting property.
For instance, it can be tempting to believe that all shoplifters are teenagers committing a crime of opportunity. But factors such as the presence of accomplices or even, in the worst case, gang affiliation can lead to increased personal danger for private security personnel who try to effect an arrest. We definitely don't want to see a situation in which a citizen's arrest is made only to find the suspects' friends or accomplices returning for a measure of retribution.
In the end, property owners, shopkeepers, and businesses that are looking to prevent losses should take the basic steps necessary to assist law enforcement, including installing functioning and clear cameras where necessary, as well as quickly reporting any suspected activity to local police agencies, rather than looking to take the law into their own hands.
In summary, Bill C-26 does help clarify some of the situations in which it might be appropriate for a private citizen to act in defence of themselves or their property, but we must avoid any indication or implication that these actions should be a replacement for professional law enforcement personnel.
I do appreciate the opportunity to address you today and certainly welcome any and all questions you might have on how this legislation impacts our members.
Thank you.