Thank you, Chair, and thank you, gentlemen, for being here with us today.
I want to go back very quickly to the crime stats that Ms. Dabrusin reported. That same crime report suggests that Canadian rural crime rates are significantly higher in populations in comparison to urban areas. Seventeen per cent of the population of Canada lives in rural areas, yet 25% of the violent crime, 18% of the property crime and 24% of all other Criminal Code crime is committed in rural areas, as reported by rural police there. There is a significant issue, and we know that.
I have a couple of things. I've been travelling across the country speaking to law enforcement leaders, including many RCMP commanders who have suggested that the current contract policing model—and I'll use the term they used—is broken and in need of an overhaul in order for the RCMP to adequately address the current and evolving demands in rural crime.
Again, I only have five minutes in total and I have another couple of questions. Do you have any thoughts on how we might fix the current model so that we can be more responsive to the needs of the rural communities?