Thank you very much for those comments.
You're from Winnipeg and you've walked the streets of Winnipeg, so you will have seen this. It's something that surprised me about 18 months ago, when I was there.
We know the mental health crisis we're facing in this country. We know that the police interactions in mental health crises are increasing as well. Quite frankly, responding to mental health-type calls has been a challenge for policing for decades. Today, with our massive and increased levels of illegal drug use and higher rates of addiction, there are more and more requests for help. Usually the police, in many circumstances, are the only ones who can and do respond. The police have some training, but that's not really their role and expertise.
My time in Winnipeg was short, but from working with the police there and listening to them, I know that many times they have hundreds of high-risk calls backed up because all of their cars, dozens of cars, their first-line responders, are tied up with individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis and need assistance. They can't leave them at the health facility where they take them, so all of their cars are tied up.
You see this first-hand every single day. Quite frankly, with the meth issues you're experiencing there in Winnipeg, I've never seen a community that has as much of a mental health, drug addiction and crime combination. From your experience, sir, can you help me understand what you think is going to work better? You talk about communities helping each other and people in the community helping people in the community, but we all have to work together. From your experience, how do we properly deal with some of the mental health challenges you're experiencing in Winnipeg, as we are across this country, for a law enforcement response—