Mr. Speaker, I want to say a few words about this whole question.
We are always told that Canada is a wonderful country. It is a wonderful country for one wrong reason among all the extra fine good reasons. The wrong reason is that it has become a haven for a lot of people who engage in different kinds of criminal activity. There is too much trafficking in things like illegal credit cards. We have people smugglers. Some people come to Canada to work illegally. People are trafficking in illegal substances.
Anything that can be done to strengthen the enforcement of our criminal law at the border should be supported.
One of the areas that the government should look at very closely is the increased use of automation, whenever possible. There are many high tech devices available to detect illegal substances. I would like the government to do an honest assessment of the effectiveness of some of this equipment. If it is effective, it should introduce it and use it in greater measure.
The other concern I have is with the training of customs officers. They have to be trained technically. They have to know the law. They should also have a good amount of training in how to deal with people. This is a matter of considerable concern. Clearly it is a large concern because a lot of people are moving across our borders, transporting goods. It is very important for us to strengthen the integrity of our borders so that illegal activities are not attracted to this country. We need to do that more efficiently.
In that regard, even though this bill has some flaws, I would be willing to support the positive changes in it. I hope there will be more in the future.