The fundamental issue being raised is whether the DNA MPI is something that flows out of provincial responsibility. It's coroners in the provinces, their health systems, and things like this that identify the debt. The police are responsible for the administration of justice, so even a normal police investigation would normally be the jurisdiction of the provinces. The federal law powers...there's always spending power, and of course there's the criminal law power. To the extent that the DNA MPI is used for law enforcement purposes--an adjunct to our criminal power--then it becomes something like CPIC, where the national service could be set up. Provinces are not interested in having the federal government tell them how their coroners should handle investigations of missing persons and stuff like that.
On April 24th, 2007. See this statement in context.