I see that everyone has their suggestions. I was only making the one that is most urgent for me, that is a meeting with the new RCMP Commissioner. I have another suggestion. Cigarette smuggling is more serious than ever. It is dramatic in Ontario and in Quebec where the second highest number of cigarettes are sold...We cannot really say smuggled cigarettes because they do not come from the United States; they come from Canadian manufacturers who do not pay duty. Most of these operations are on native reserves. I am not just worried about the loss of $1.6 billion in taxes. Doctors who work in the area of tobacco addiction are noticing that progress is no longer being made, particularly among young people. They can get hold of contraband cigarettes too easily, and it does not seem to me that the RCMP is making the effort it should.
There are also things that will take a little less time. I do not know if other members are getting the same requests in their constituencies, but there is an incredible increase in the number of people who, for some reason or other, need a certificate saying that they have no criminal record in order to get a government job, or any job. It can take up to 18 months or even two years to get a certificate saying that one has no criminal record. Many of them are young people. I would like to get a better understanding of this problem.
As to the suggestion from the member for Vancouver South, I think it is a good one, but unfortunately there are a large number of issues that we want to address. I became interested in knowing more about this famous taser so I went to the Library of Parliament. I noticed that a number of studies came to conclusions that I do not want to list here.The attorney general of British Columbia has made the right decision: a public inquiry on the use of this weapon. Our procedures are also completely different from those of a commission of inquiry. Really, the best way to get to the bottom of the problem is to leave it to a judge or a commissioner, who can conduct an inquiry, write a report and who will have the opportunity to consider all the other studies already done on the taser. So the matter is no longer pressing for us, given the other matters we need to come to grips with.
I am telling you that contraband cigarettes are having disastrous effects in British Columbia and everywhere. Probably only one House committee can wake up the organizations who can fight against it. There is not just the RCMP, there are other organizations who, for $5,000, issue permits to tobacco manufacturers who set up shop with no controls. A House committee can have an impact on the needed changes.
I am not making a lot of suggestions. For me, the top priority is to meet Mr. Elliott. I think that we should also come to grips with cigarette smuggling. Thank you.