With respect to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, (RCMP), ownership of a 0.50 calibre Browning M2 machine gun, the deployment of such weapons is as follows:
(a) It is conceivable that under certain operational conditions the necessity to deploy weapons of this calibre will be a requirement. Currently the 0.50 calibre machine gun capability of the RCMP is restricted to the armoured public and police safety vehicle program and could be deployed when there is a requirement for the protection provided by such vehicles. Because of the capability of this system very careful consideration will be given to every request for deployment. It is conceivable that additional restrictions could be imposed prior to authorization being granted to deploy the entire system.
(b) With respect to the role of the military in Canada the RCMP cannot comment, except to say that under the National Defence Act, the Canadian forces could be requested to provide assistance if the situation is beyond the capability of the police. A situation such as a natural disaster might elicit a request for military assistance.
The RCMP is dedicated to the safety and protection of the Canadian public.
Question No. 44—