I'd like to answer the member's question.
I know that you've looked into the problem of street gangs and involved the media in this on several occasions.
As you know, the majority of these individuals believe that we are armed. Clearly there has been a great deal of publicity, particularly on the US side, and reports from international travellers entering the country. In a number of countries, customs officers are armed. Our officers have a number of tools at their disposal. They carry expandable batons, cayenne pepper and so forth. All that's missing in their arsenal is a gun.
Recently, a number of individuals arrived at a border post in Quebec at 2 a.m. They had a cache of automatic weapons. The female customs officer was the only person on duty. How would you have liked her to respond? The individuals were armed to the teeth. You might say to me that had she had a gun, she would at least have been able to protect herself. However, there would also have been an increased risk of a violent confrontation.
Often, these individuals proceed right through the border post, with the shipment following close behind them. The same situation occurs at the other 107 unguarded posts that have abandoned by the RCMP, as Mr. Juneau-Katsuya pointed out. That is the situation that we are facing today.