Public Safety Committee on Oct. 23rd, 2025

[Kevin Brosseau]

I don't know the source of that, but I can tell you what my authorities are as a senior official at the Privy Council Office. As I mentioned at the front, my job is to coordinate and integrate the efforts and not to replace a minister or a deputy head, both of whom are represented here.

It is powerful—I believe my colleagues will either dismiss me or not on this panel—to bring people together and bring a singular focus to enhance the efforts related to fentanyl because of the tragic stories I hear every day about people like your nephew and so many other people in this country.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

It sounds like it is correct that you don't have authority over those services. It feels like the position was created solely to appease the Trump administration without any real intent.... I'm wondering if you can explain how we address Canada's fentanyl crisis if you don't have the authority.

[Kevin Brosseau]

Look, we have a number of different organizations that have various mandates across that complex supply and demand ecosystem that I described. Prior to my appointment—and I'm last in line for credit and first in line for criticism—the coordination between those who are tasked with looking at demand and providing health services across the board federally, provincially and municipally as well as the enforcement organizations focused on supply perhaps was not as good as it could have been, related to ensuring that when you push on one side, it's going to impact the other.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

I'm going to have to stop here so I can give my time to Mr. Gill.

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Thank you for being here today. I really appreciate that.

My questions will be directed to the president of the CBSA.

President, in my community of Langley, British Columbia, police recently uncovered a fentanyl superlab. Authorities confirmed that it was capable of producing multiple kilograms of fentanyl each week.

Given the scale of operation, how confident are you that the CBSA currently has the resources to prevent similar threats from reaching our communities?

[Erin O'Gorman]

I'm confident that the officers and employees of CBSA are constantly looking for fentanyl, for precursors, for contraband of all kinds, and I would note the seizure of 350 kilograms of methamphetamines in southern Ontario. A thousand new employees, new CBSA officers, will certainly bolster this, as will our co-operation with local police, with the RCMP and, per your study, our American counterparts.

In the discussion with U.S. DEA and my colleagues this week and with customs and border protection, we exchanged information, exchanged trends, and we exchanged intelligence. We're unrelenting in that mission.

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

President, you say you're confident, but it's clear that our borders urgently need more support currently. The Liberal government has repeatedly promised to hire 1,000 new agents, yet the commitment remains unfulfilled. The public safety minister has even suggested that it's not his responsibility to do this hiring.

Based on your understanding of hiring and resources, when can Canadians realistically expect to see the commitment delivered? I'm asking for a clear timeline, please.

[Erin O'Gorman]

It's my responsibility, and the announcement of $260 million—sorry, excuse me—$617 million last week has certainly put a fine point on that.

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

What's the clear timeline?

[Erin O'Gorman]

We expect over the course of three to four years to bring in those employees, those officers. As I was indicating in my previous answer, they will be deployed internationally. They will be deployed at the ports of entry. They will be deployed into our inland enforcement and our trade operations and our targeting and our intelligence.

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

President, would you agree that every day that those positions remain unfilled—

[The Chair, Liberal, Jean-Yves Duclos]

MP Gill, that's all the time we had for that segment. I'm sorry for that.

Let me turn now to MP Ehsassi.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll ask the commissioner a question, picking up from where my colleague Mr. Sari and I left off.

Commissioner, as you know full well, all of us who are public officials have an obligation and a responsibility to have a better understanding of how our institutions work, because you're all doing very sophisticated work and we have to make sure that we're informed of it.

I was wondering if you would be good enough to provide us with a response about the last time Mr. Poilievre met with the senior leadership of the RCMP. When was that? This is so we have it for the record.

It's terrible when the integrity of the RCMP and the leadership are impugned. Another member, who's here today, said earlier this week, “The actions of the leadership of the RCMP, I think, are indefensible in many instances.” It doesn't do our country any good when they question the credibility and professionalism of the RCMP.

I was wondering if you could provide us with a summary of the integrity and professionalism that you see day in and day out in the RCMP.

[Commr Michael Duheme]

It starts at the very first phase of recruiting. We want to make sure that we have the right people, men and women, who are aligned with the core values of the organization.

We then look at the amount of work that has been done in all three of our mandates: frontline policing, the contract work we're doing and special policing services. Look at the work that's being done in the communities, some of the challenging areas where our people work and the respect that the people have for the RCMP.

There was a federal, provincial and territorial meeting last week in Kananaskis. The feedback I got from my representatives who were there was that all of the provinces and territories are very happy with the service the RCMP is providing. That's a testament to the excellent work that's going on out there and the people we hire.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

When you hear public officials, any one of us here, making irresponsible or indefensible allegations about the RCMP or taking potshots at the professionalism of your organization, how does that affect morale?

[Commr Michael Duheme]

Any negative comments toward the organization will affect morale. My job as a leader is to make sure that I try to correct it as best I can.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Thank you very much for everything you're doing.

I'll go to Mr. Brosseau.

Some of the members opposite were trying to leave us with the impression that Canada is the only country that has to contend with transnational crime. I suspect this is a topic of much discussion and attention for all countries, whether they be in Europe or in North America.

Could you tell us how much of a threat this is to all countries in the western world?

[Kevin Brosseau]

The threat transnational organized crime presents to western countries around the world that have open economies and open societies that can be preyed upon is primordial. As I mentioned, it is a complex ecosystem where billions of dollars are being laundered and traded around the world. That's why the coordination and the co-operation I discussed are so important. Commissioner Duheme and President O'Gorman can also talk about the way they work with their Five Eyes partners and other alliances and other partnerships around the world.

Organized crime and organized criminals work together. It used to be that they didn't, but they do now. It amplifies the importance of being able to work together.

This is not a problem that's unique to Canada. It doesn't mean that we let our foot off the gas; in fact, we have to be ruthless in the manner in which we attack this issue. It is by definition a global and transnational problem.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

It's growing in the United States and Europe just as much as it is in Canada.

[Kevin Brosseau]

It's everywhere.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Thank you.

That concludes my questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jean-Yves Duclos]

Thank you, MP Ehsassi.

Mrs. DeBellefeuille, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Duheme, the CBSA has stated on a number of occasions that the 800 border officers and the 200 operational staff will be hired within the next three to four years.

Can you confirm your deployment plan for hiring the 1,000 officers?

I've heard through the grapevine that it's more like a four, five, maybe six-year time frame.

Could you confirm that?

[Commr Michael Duheme]

What I can confirm is that the 1,000 employees who will be hired will include 750 police officers and 250 public service employees with the necessary expertise to meet the needs. It's no different from what Ms. O'Gorman said. The plan extends over four years, and we expect the objectives to be met within three and a half years. It's not a challenge.

What we're working on is the traditional way of training police officers at the RCMP. That will change. The training will consist of two components: basic training that all police officers must take and separate training for frontline officers and federal officers.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC]

Thank you for those clarifications, Mr. Duheme.

Ms. O'Gorman, you told us earlier that the 200 operational staff who will be hired will come from all kinds of backgrounds. They will be scientists and academics, for example, who will meet needs other than those that will be met by frontline officers. They could include intelligence analysts and remote targeting specialists.

Currently, you have about 180 officers on staff who can't use their weapons for all kinds of reasons and who have restrictions on the use of force.

Is your goal to add the 200 operational staff to the 180 officers who are currently helping out your organization?