Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his question. This is not at all about the politicization of the police force. In fact, this issue is the subject of a debate. Our Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness says that she does not want to interfere in police matters and that the deployment of police forces is the responsibility of the commissioner of the RCMP. That is our minister's position on this issue.
As elected officials, I think that we can certainly speak on behalf of our mayors, of our municipal and regional elected officials who want the presence of the RCMP in their area. This is not about the politicization of this issue. The deployment of police forces is not the sole responsibility of the commissioner of the RCMP. Elected officials must have their say or, if at some point the commissioner is not being given the right feedback, it is important that we, as elected officials directly accountable to our constituents, have the opportunity to tell the commissioner that we need such police presence. I need it in my region. I have 10 border crossings that require the presence of the RCMP, and that is being taken away at this time.