Madam Chair,If we do not see the presence now, we have done so in the past. I must point out that the population has not decreased. The Constitution has not changed and removed functions from the RCMP that it did not have in the past.
It used to deal with customs. We used to see their members in the field, along with their Sûreté du Québec colleagues, but within federal mandates. Where national security is concerned, and there are people using border crossings, this is part of national security and so it is part of the RCMP's mandate. Where drug dealers are concerned, intercepting them is part of the RCMP mandate.
I do not want to see the RCMP turned into a community police force. I want it to look after its areas of responsibility, assume its responsibilities and not shirk those responsibilities.