Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
I participated in the government's national summit on combatting auto theft. Not surprisingly, most of the criticism was directed at the Canada Border Services Agency. The Port of Montreal has become a hub for auto theft and the export of stolen vehicles abroad. People are being more and more vocal about blaming organized crime for auto theft in Canada. There have always been rumours, but people are more willing to talk about it now, it seems.
In fact, I read in a Radio-Canada article that it's no secret the Irish mafia in Montreal is involved, along with the Italian mafia, and that there are corrupt customs officers and port workers at the Port of Montreal. This raises questions about how Canadian port employees are selected and vetted. The Association des directeurs de police du Québec has even suggested that police services should handle the vetting process.
Mr. McCrorie, can you tell us how many customs officers there are at the Port of Montreal and how the selection process works? Should changes be made to make it more rigorous?