Thank you again, Mr. Pecknold.
I have a comment on some of the last questions. I know you weren't able to comment on the level of training, but we did hear from divisional representatives from the RCMP who were certainly proud to comment that both the witness protection program training and the operators in Canada are world renowned in their opinion. That probably dovetails with provincial and municipal agents and operators in witness protection programs, so I think Canada is in a good position with our protection program when compared to other nations'.
You mentioned the combined forces special enforcement unit and you talked a bit about the complexity of investigations that go on among municipal, provincial, and federal bodies. Sometimes one incident can involve all three. This does tie in to Mr. Rafferty's question about first nation policing programs, their funding and ability to access the witness protection program. You may not be able to comment specifically on an individual case. I'll try to characterize this and see if you feel fit to comment on my characterization of investigations.
When investigations become complex on a municipal, provincial, and federal level, a witness entering a witness protection program by and large is not going to be entering that program because of testimony provided on a break and enter. It's going to be a rather complex case where there is a serious threat to personal and community safety. From that position, it's usually going to be a complex investigation that extends well beyond municipal boundaries.
From that point of view, there could or should at least be an angle of application for witness protection program access via the federal protection program under the jurisdiction and authority of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or at least a larger municipal centre or provincial body that has the funds available to do that, to allow a witness to enter the witness protection program. We can think of the smallest municipal jurisdiction in British Columbia. If they had a witness who required protection, they might not be able to afford access to the program, given their small municipal budget. But I would hazard a guess that if the smallest municipality providing its own municipal policing services in British Columbia finds itself with a case in which a witness is testifying and requires the services of the witness protection program, it's not likely that it would be solely a municipal issue. It's not likely that it would involve any less than an integrated unit, the RCMP, or even a federal investigation into the matter on which the witness is testifying.
Would that be an accurate characterization?