Thank you very much for being here.
Our main goal, here in the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, is, of course, keeping Canadians safe, ensuring our borders are secure, and protecting our nation's sovereignty. And the trend we're seeing stems from the desire to make our police systems more efficient, getting more bang for our buck, so to speak. In your view, what dangers does this eagerness to streamline and be as cost-effective as possible in meeting our goal, which is really public safety and national security, expose us to?
I am going to give you an example. When I talk to RCMP officers, they tell me that their priorities are combatting terrorism and fighting drug trafficking, including the trade of marijuana. When I talk to border services officers, they say they no longer even have the resources they need to conduct thorough searches of goods entering the country.
How, then, does an overeagerness to cut costs jeopardize our personal safety, as well as the security of our businesses?
I'd like Mr. Couture to answer first, please.