Mr. Speaker, I would like to approach it in two ways. When the Prime Minister addressed this problem early on in the House when we first arrived here, veterans and rookies alike, this started to develop into a bigger and bigger problem.
Our frustration was that the smuggling was occurring in two major areas. We knew where they were. The problem was that they were on reserve lands. The RCMP was reluctant to go on those lands and make arrests. That led us to believe that this government was shortsighted and lacked the political will to enforce the laws of this country. Two sets of laws started to appear, one for native Indians and their borders and one for the rest of Canada. Therefore, we encouraged the government to enforce the law.
I believe the Prime Minister heard that message and in consultation with the head of the RCMP and the Solicitor General he tried to solve the problem.
The Prime Minister heard that message and in consultation with the head of the RCMP and the Solicitor General he tried to solve the problem. His final conclusion was a four-point plan to resolve the issue, to build respect for the law and to prevent the smuggling which is costing taxpayers a lot of money, smokers and non-smokers alike.
I supported his four-point plan. I thought it was well thought out. It was a tough decision. He made a political decision. He made a reasoned decision in the best interests of solving the problem. For that I commend him, for that I respect him and I think he did the right thing. In answer to that, I do support what he did.
As some of my colleagues have mentioned, other steps could have been tried first. Having said that about the Prime Minister, I feel it has worked.
Now that I took so long to answer that part of the question, I forget the second part. I cannot answer it, I apologize.