Thank you, everyone.
I'm pleased to be here to discuss the priorities of my department and of Parliament in the area of justice.
First, it's important to understand that, although the Department of Justice has a number of functions, public safety remains a top priority for the government.
You'll have noticed that a significant number of the bills that have come before Parliament since the time of the last federal election have focused on public safety. This is not just a series of bills being put forward in isolation. Instead, this is part of a broader strategy focused on making Canadian communities safer places to call home.
The strategy rests on three essential pillars. The first is to strengthen Canada's criminal laws. This includes, from a legislative point of view, a number of bills that will be no strangers to members of this committee: Bill C-9, the combatting hate act; Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act; and Bill C-16, the protecting victims act. These three bills represent some of the most significant Canadian reforms to criminal law in generations. My sense is that they will have a positive impact, although we know that strengthening Canada's criminal laws is essential but insufficient if we're going to expect long-term improvement when it comes to public safety outcomes.
The second pillar of the strategy, to help ensure that those laws have an impact on the ground, is to support those on the front line of public safety in this country. That means police, certainly, but it also means community organizations, those who are working in communities with people who are serving victims and investigating crimes, and others who will be working on public safety in our communities. As part of this effort, the federal government will be increasing our resources to the RCMP, including enough to hire 1,000 new RCMP officers and 1,000 new CBSA officials to strengthen our borders. We're also introducing new tools to make it easier for law enforcement on the front lines to do their jobs, including through lawful access, which I know has been debated at length in the House of Commons.
The third pillar, though, in my mind is the most important if we expect to see long-term improvements to violent crime in this country and an enhanced level of public safety. That's to make upstream investments that are aimed at prevention in the long term. This will demand that we make significant investments in such areas as affordable and supportive housing, that we embrace mental health and addictions as part of a strategy to build healthier people, and of course that we invest in at-risk youth to deter people, as early on in life as possible, from going down the path of a criminal lifestyle.
In addition to these acutely focused policy areas, we should not lose sight of the fact that building healthier communities and stronger communities will result in safer communities. I view it to be important for governments to invest not only in policing or programs that directly target at-risk youth but also in the basics, whether it's recreational infrastructure or health infrastructure, the things that make people feel that their community is whole and allow them to live life fully as a member of that community.
In short, the strategy for strengthening public safety is based on three pillars. First, we need to strengthen criminal legislation. Second, we must support the people who protect our communities on the ground. Third, we need to invest in affordable housing and mental health care, including addiction treatment. We must also support young people and move forward with programs that make our communities safe.
It's important that we take this holistic view, because you could claim victory when you achieve royal assent on a piece of legislation, but the people I talk to across Canada are far less concerned with the date of royal assent and far more concerned with whether their kids can play in the streets. We have an opportunity to advance public safety in this country through the work of this and other committees, and I'm honoured to be a part of it.
Mr. Chair, I would prefer to leave a little time on the table to allow for questions from members. I'm happy to take what questions members have.
Thank you.