Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the Minister of Justice.
First, I would like to join with others who have in the past days expressed deep concern with respect to the shooting in Montreal. The case is under investigation by local police in Montreal and will follow due course. I know that is what parliamentarians want to take place.
We know that the use of violence and intimidation by criminals has the potential to undermine the criminal justice system and other democratic institutions. It is an issue that many countries around the world are wrestling with and is something that Canada will not tolerate.
At a recent meeting in Iqaluit, the Minister of Justice and I and our provincial and territorial colleagues confirmed that combatting organized crime is a national priority. Ministers recognize that the use of intimidation by organized crime is a serious and pressing concern for Canadians.
As the new commissioner of the RCMP indicated, nobody is immune to organized crime. What he wanted to indicate quite clearly is that it is everybody's concern and we all must be cautious.
Organized crime is the number one law enforcement priority of my ministry. It is a national and international problem and it is growing in complexity. More important, it is a social problem and a community issue in Canada and for Canadians.
Its effects are broad and serious across the country. It affects our youth, our families, the economy and our quality of life in general. This government has a solid record in dealing with organized crime from coast to coast.
We know there is no single easy answer to the problem. It is not only a question of legislation or resources or co-ordination. In fact, it is all three.
The federal government has made investments in law enforcement. In 1997 we established 13 integrated proceeds of crime units in the RCMP. These units include provincial and local police. This adds up to more than $180 million in new investments in proceeds of crime enforcement over the past number of years. The IPOC has seized more than $140 million in criminal assets to date, taking the proceeds out of crime. Of these seizures $70 million in forfeitures have been ordered by the courts.
In April 1999 we provided $115 million to modernize the Canadian Police Information Centre which supports police in all areas including the fight against organized crime. In June 1999 we announced new funding of $15 million for the RCMP to provide for its presence in the three largest airports in the country; Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. That way we can prevent organized criminals from seeking to enter Canada to do business.
Also, in June 1999 we injected an additional $78 million over the next four years to the anti-smuggling initiative launched in 1994 with resources for the RCMP, Justice Canada and Customs Canada to target cross-border crime.
Last but not least, in this year's budget the RCMP received a substantial funding increase totalling $584 million over the next three years. A portion of that of course will be used to fight organized crime.
This government has worked to give the police the tools they need to do the job of fighting organized crime. New anti-gang legislation was put in place in 1997 and is being used now by police and prosecutors across the country to target gangs. We know that many of the provisions that were introduced are being used widely and effectively. We also know that some see certain elements as complex and we are consulting with police and prosecutors to monitor how the legislation is being used and whether and how it can be improved.
We put new anti-money laundering legislation in place this past June when Bill C-22 was passed. It helped police target the profits of crime. We have also worked with the public to develop community based strategies and responses to criminal gangs.
Is there more to do to fight organized crime? Yes, there is more to do. Organized crime is a complex problem with many manifestations. Violence and intimidation are two aspects. They are two of the most troubling aspects, to be sure. There are the effects of the illegal drug trade on our youth. There is the fear and anxiety among the public and in our communities that can be created because of gang violence. There are the effects on our economy and our environment.
Migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings are also a growing international concern and certainly have an effect on our country. Telemarketing fraud artists victimize elderly persons. Credit card frauds are increasing dramatically according to the industry and police. Organized crime is involved in interprovincial and international auto theft and our insurance premiums reflect this. It is honest citizens who pay for the lifestyle of organized crime in this country.
The diverse nature of the problem requires that we deal with this on a number of fronts. We have done so. This has been our strategy. We will continue to do so by investing in legislation, in enforcement resources and by working with communities across the country.
We are continuing to develop new initiatives now by collaborating with provincial governments, the police and communities across the country. We are also working closely with the United States and our other international partners to co-ordinate law enforcement and to set shared standards in a global effort to combat organized crime.
I want to emphasize the need for governments in Canada to work together. We are faced with a national problem and we need to deal with it in a co-ordinated way. This is my top priority as solicitor general and I am personally committed to ensuring that what needs to be done will be done.
The Canadian public is the biggest factor in the fight against organized crime. The public knows that biker gangs and other organized criminals are not romantic figures or rebels. Those who think otherwise are quite simply sadly mistaken. Outlaw gangs and other organized criminals are a cancer to our society. They exploit the freedoms that we cherish so much in this great country. They exploit our honest young people and the quality of life that honest hard-working Canadians work to achieve and maintain. The public must recognize that gangs and organized criminals victimize us all.
We must collectively and individually refuse to provide any support to criminal gangs. Zero tolerance must be our policy. This means refusing to buy contraband goods. It means working with local police when problems arise in our communities. It means not allowing gangs a place in our communities.
The Minister of Justice and I met with our provincial and territorial counterparts in Iqaluit. They believe as we do that it has to be a co-ordinated effort on all fronts, with the RCMP, provincial police departments and municipal police departments. They certainly appreciate some of the moves that we have made such as the DNA databank which is so important in helping to put criminals where they should be, and that is behind bars.
My colleague, the Minister of Justice, has issued a white paper on the judgment of the supreme court in Campbell and Shirose. We are waiting for submissions from our colleagues from across the way and across the country to make sure that we give the RCMP and other police forces across the country the tools to do the job.
I remain firmly committed to doing all I can, working with provincial governments and Canadians to deal with the serious organized crime problem we face in Quebec and across the country.