Thank you, Mr. Richards. Thank you very much for the question.
It's a very broad question that would require a lengthy and detailed response. For the purpose of the hearings here today, what I can say is there's actually quite a bit that's going on. It goes to the intelligence-led model that is implemented to enforce the security of the border.
In my opening remarks I spoke of the layered approach, I spoke of the importance of ensuring seamless sharing of information and collaboration among the teams that are operating inland with the teams that are operating on the border. In essence, I can make the distinction, to start with, that we do not focus on the commodity. If a criminal organization is operating on the border, today they might be smuggling narcotics, tomorrow individuals, and the day after it could be firearms. These organizations are in the business of operating to make a profit, and the commodity to them becomes secondary.
So the importance for us is to ensure that we have as accurate a picture as we can of what is happening in the U.S., in Canada, and on the border. This is where the sharing of information protocol becomes very important, and this is where the work of IBET is important, developing on a yearly basis threat assessments on the activities that are happening at the border. On a yearly basis, all the agencies get back together--this includes the five core agencies, as well as the 50-some other agencies that are participating in IBET--and compare their intelligence to identify exactly where the activities are taking place, which organizations are involved in them, and what commodity they're involved in. So this is an ongoing process.