Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's my pleasure to be here today with Commissioner Elliott to speak to you on the government's response to the committee's 2007 report, which addressed problems in the administration of the RCMP's pension and insurance plans.
First, let me say that I appreciate the on-going work of this committee in contributing to RCMP modernization efforts. Your recommendations, along with other input, have helped guide the reforms to strengthen the RCMP.
As you will recall, in 2007 the government established the Task Force on Governance and Cultural Change in the RCMP. The task force was created in response to a number of concerns relating to the administration and management of the RCMP. In December of that year, the task force released its final comprehensive report, with 49 recommendations regarding RCMP governance, management, and accountability.
One of the recommendations was to create a council of external advisers to oversee the implementation of task force recommendations. Consistent with this recommendation, in March 2008, three years ago, the government established the RCMP Reform Implementation Council to provide expert advice on the modernization of the RCMP.