Good afternoon, everyone. This is meeting number 53 of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, on Monday, October 22, 2012. Today we are continuing our consideration of Bill C-42, An Act to amend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts.
In our first hour, we will hear from Mr. Paul Kennedy, who is appearing as an individual. He has been in the Department of Public Safety in the past.
Also, by video conference from Upper Fraser, British Columbia, we have Darryl Plecas, Royal Canadian Mounted Police research chair and the director of the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of the Fraser Valley. He is also appearing as an individual today.
I would invite each of you to make your opening comments. Mr. Kennedy, I would invite you to go first. Then we will proceed with rounds of questioning from all parties and from different individuals around the table.
Welcome, Mr. Kennedy. Welcome, Mr. Plecas.
Mr. Kennedy, go ahead, please.