Mr. Speaker, the ports police issue was examined in great detail by a Coopers & Lybrand study. It proposed a new model for the policing of our major ports.
To make sure the study done by Inspector Mann was confirmed we had another study done by the former chief constable of the city of Vancouver, Mr. Stewart, and the former head of the RCMP detachment for North Vancouver, Mr. Gill Yard. They came to the same essential conclusion that more effective policing could be done. More effective means more security for the Canadian public.
As the hon. member mentioned Vancouver, I have to mention that British Columbia did not take part in that study although every other affected province did. We therefore waited until a study was done by Superintendent William Neill, the former Saskatchewan RCMP head. He did a study for the province of British Columbia which came to the same conclusions.
There have been three studies by senior police officials which say we can get more security for the Canadian public by a new model that uses municipal policing, customs services, immigration and security services. That deals with criminal problems much more effectively than the existing model we are using now.