Mr. Speaker, I would like ask my hon. colleague, a former RCMP officer, a simple question.
Before Christmas the RCMP received a very nasty present. The government tore up its wage agreement, an agreement that would have simply given the RCMP wage parity with other police forces across this country. Right now we have a situation where we have a massive global deficit. RCMP officers are paid less than municipal and provincial police forces in Canada. They work extremely hard. They have the largest expanded coverage, not only within our country but they are deployed abroad under very dangerous circumstances.
I would like to ask my hon. colleague, as an RCMP officer, at his gut level, with his former brothers and sisters and comrades in the RCMP, does he not think it is an affront to every single RCMP officer in this country that his government tore that agreement up, and that it is in effect going to damage the ability of people to get into the RCMP and to retain the RCMP officers who do a remarkable job from coast to coast in our country and around the world? Will he commit to asking his government to change that deplorable decision and enable the RCMP officers to get the wage increase that they deserve?