Mr. Speaker, while I take the comments of the hon. member for Wild Rose very much to heart and I know he has a great interest in this subject matter, I do not think we can simplify this issue by saying it is only the courts that are causing or exaggerating the problems.
There are certainly occasions where we need a more streamlined system. We need the ability to sometimes cut to the chase and get to the very heart of what is taking place when organized crime is active in a community and manipulating the system. There will always have to be checks and balances. That is why I would be very reticent to jump quickly to the use of the legislative atomic bomb, the use of the notwithstanding clause. However, it is there and it is written into our law for a purpose. It is there like the sword of Damocles. It should be hanging over the courts, and sometimes lawyers and judges, to be used to remind Canadians that parliament is the supreme creator and supreme enactor of legislative initiatives. This is where the House of Commons comes into play, as well as the Senate, in proving that we are the ones who make the laws.
I agree about the use of scarce resources at a time when officers are crying out for more overtime, more technical advances in terms of the use of computers and sharing of information. We are continually pouring money into this cumbersome bureaucratic nightmare that we call the gun registry, knowing it will not impact on organized crime, knowing first and foremost that criminals will not participate and knowing that the police will not be able to rely on it as accurate. Not only is it being set up and the infrastructure being put in place at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, it has now undertaken an aggressive advertising scheme to sell it to people who do not want it. All this is a big ruse and sale of misinformation, pretending that this will make our streets more safe. It simply will not work and will not change of course until the government changes.
Just as in health care, throwing money at the problem is not the only answer. It is part of the answer to get the scarce resources into the hands that need them. Legislative initiatives and co-operative efforts will help to turn the corner at least in addressing organized crime head-on in a forceful and effective way.