Thank you for that question, MP Sodhi.
What I've heard from law enforcement is that this is an incredibly important tool that will make a world of difference.
Yesterday, we had a major police announcement by Chief Nish. There were 17 individuals arrested for violent extortions. I was told that the investigation took very difficult police work. You had police members who put themselves in harm's way to hold these international criminals to account. They told me that the investigation literally could have been done in two or three months, not eight months, and that there was a litany of victims in that period, which this legislation could have prevented.
It's not just extortions, MP Sodhi. I can tell you about some of the worst crimes in the region. This is a tool that could have prevented them. Let me give you one example that was shared with me by the Peel Regional Police. We had two victims of a recent cybercrime—a cryptocurrency scam—and the two innocent victims were defrauded of $1.6 million. This is a case where the lawful access provisions would have allowed them to get those responsible and to have them charged before this crime was successful.
For human trafficking and child exploitation to extortions, this is a tool that I think our police desperately need. When you hear chiefs of police and police unions across the country pleading for this help and saying that this is a tool they need, I can't comprehend why there would be such hesitation behind this. I was told very clearly by our chief of police, in whom I have a great level of confidence—I think he's one of the best chiefs in the country, and he was actually chief of the chiefs at one point—that this is balanced. It's carved out to focus on those crimes where there's a reasonable suspicion of a crime. There's not an overextension of where it could be applicable. For those who are sharing privacy concerns, I think you do not need to worry about your privacy being infringed if you're not committing criminal activities.
I'd ask this question: How about the right to privacy of victims? How about the right to not get your house shot up? How about the right to not have your children terrified?
Amandeep, you represent the Brampton riding. I'm sure you've heard countless concerns as well. I get calls from the victims who say, “What are you going to do, Mr. Mayor, to stand up for us?”
One of the things we've been doing is pleading with the Government of Canada to deliver updated lawful access legislation. I'm grateful that the government has done so. I know that our hard-working police officers are grateful that this hope and this help are on the horizon. I really hope that we don't see delays in the passage of this legislation.