Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Minister Day and all the officials.
Minister Day, when I look at your overall budgetary allocation for all the responsibilities--the department, the RCMP, CSIS, the Canada Border Services Agency--the budget is actually down in 2008-09 by about 3%. I know it's a large number. It's $6.5 billion. You referenced Budget 2006 in which you had some new allocations, but the last time I checked, organized criminals and terrorists hadn't checked in all their weaponry following the 2006 budget, so I have a couple of areas where I think your budget is missing something.
Before I do that, I'd just like to comment on some of the areas. Particularly with a government that prides itself, at least in the public's eyes, from the way they message it, as being a law-and-order government.... CSIS, for example, is flat-lined essentially at $6 million. The RCMP is down. Canada Border Services Agency is essentially flat-lined from 2007-08 to 2008-09. Emergency management and security is totally gutted. At a time of climate change, we should be doing a lot more in terms of loss mitigation, loss control, and I'm very sad to see that. Looking at the departmental budget, which is cut significantly, community safety is way down. I presume that means these crime prevention programs are being gutted--something that in my riding has worked extremely well to try to deal with drugs, gangs, and young criminals. Policy and law enforcement within the department is down from $36 million to $23 million. The Canada Border Services Agency, the security aspect, is down by about $40 million. In my judgment, this just doesn't stack up to a government that presents itself as law and order.
I'd like to address two things in particular. One of the things that I couldn't find in there, Minister, was the re-opening of the RCMP detachments in Quebec. The minister was on the record in 2005, twice in the House of Commons, to say first that we should stop the closures and then another time that we should reopen the detachments in Quebec. I know that he has an ally in that with Mr. Toews, the President of the Treasury Board, because he was also concerned about some closures in Manitoba. The President of the Treasury Board is a big law-and-order guy, the last time I checked.
Why is it, Minister, you can't get your budget through? There is no money in there to reopen the detachments, as far as I can see.
Secondly, on the Canada Border Services Agency and arming of the border guards, which I think is totally wrong-footed myself, we were told at this committee that it will be $1 billion over 10 years. I know that CBSA is a very efficient organization. But are you going to tell me that they're going to swallow $1 billion over 10 years? Maybe there's a line item in here, Minister, that I just didn't locate.
I wonder if you could comment.