Those were changes that were on their way to being implemented quite some time prior to the arrival of our then new commissioner in 2007. They were then put into place after his arrival, but the process had started prior to his arrival.
The changes are very significant, absolutely significant. The payment of cadets I think went some way in attracting more people to the RCMP. When I joined, the day I went to Depot, I was a member of the RCMP on full salary. Then there was a period of time when the RCMP felt that “We don't need to pay anyone. They will come.” But in fact it caused significant hardship to individuals who had families and mortgages and so on.
So yes, it went a long way in increasing the recruiting levels. In terms of the additional personnel who came in, absolutely that goes a long way in helping us, especially with expanded mandates such as the Shiprider and a lot of the border initiatives that require additional personnel.
So it goes a long way in helping. It goes a long way in freeing up police officers. Certainly it then helps with morale.