Mr. Kers and Ms. Hauck, thank you very much for being here. As you know, we initially started the study in response to some of the issues being raised by a variety of RCMP officers. Certainly, the issue of Donald Ray is one of those that I have mentioned in the House and which many of us have talked about.
I'm going to echo my frustration as well. No matter what policies we bring in, there are people who are going to feel intimidated no matter how great our unions can be. There's a culture that has to change and a mindset that has to change.
In particular cases such as the Donald Ray one, where the punishment means being transferred to another division, department or area, and he can just continue on, what do we need to do? What kinds of policies do we need to have in place? Should it not be an automatic dismissal if the person has clearly been found in contravention of the kind of code of conduct that is expected? Why, in Mr. Ray's case, was it not just a dismissal?
I would appreciate your comments, to the degree that you can comment. It has all been very public, as you've said.