Someone heckled where we get those cuts. I have some numbers right in front of me, and the member who is heckling actually sat in cabinet when those cuts were taking place. One would think that would maybe curtail some of their criticism toward a government that has been reinforcing and providing more support. No, because it gets in the way of the spin that the Conservatives are trying to falsely put across.
Think about it, $530 million in cuts between 2011 and 2015 to the RCMP alone. Now, that is the bulk of the cuts. Another $390 million was cut from the Canada Border Services Agency, $69 million from CSIS, $42 million from the Communications Security Establishment, and a further $171 million from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. These are agencies that are expected to work collaboratively to ensure Canadians are safe. Fortunately, because of the dedication and hard work of the individuals who make up those security agencies, they have done an outstanding job in keeping Canadians safe despite the significant cuts from the previous administration.
That is one aspect that the minister of public safety talked about. The other issue was the actual numbers. It was estimated around 60 individuals, and that is what has generated the uproar from the opposition benches. What is the Government of Canada doing about 60? What is the actual change? It is virtually the same. It was estimated to be around 60 back in 2015. That is when Stephen Harper was prime minister. That is why I asked a very simple question of the member opposite, and people following the debate saw the answer.
It seems to me that whether it is the Prime Minister of Canada or the minister responsible for public safety, or even the parliamentary secretary or other members who have addressed this issue today inside the chamber, it does not matter what the facts are. The Conservatives are going to push it because they want to use it as a wedge issue. The Conservative Party of Canada wants to cause Canadians to be more fearful of something they do not necessarily need to be fearful of any more than they were in the dying years of the Conservatives on the issue of security.
In fact, I would argue that given what the government has done since 2015, there have been significant actions that should decrease the level of fear.
Members across the way might say I am somewhat biased because of where I stand currently. There is something called a baloney meter. I believe it is one of the TV stations that conducts it. We will find there is a lot of baloney in the Conservative arguments, and that is more independent. They are not just hearing it from the Liberals and the New Democrats, or the Green Party, there are many independents out there following the debate and realizing the Conservative Party members, like on so many other issues, are out of touch and they do not understand. They recognize this is an issue where the Conservatives are prepared to prey on the potential fears of Canadians. Shame on them for that sort of behaviour. That is the reason I will not support this opposition day motion.
Where should the focus be, at least in part? We know the government is taking very seriously, more seriously, those individuals who are crossing because we are respecting and supporting our security services agents. We are demonstrating that in a very a real and tangible way. However, there are other things we could be doing. This is something the Conservatives did not do. Under Stephen Harper and their minister of public safety, they seemed to ignore the issue of radicalization, that in fact it was happening in Canada to the degree it was taking place. They had their collective heads buried in the sand, preferring to ignore it, trying to sound tough, but not looking at ways to prevent young people from being lured into this extreme behaviour.
For 10 years they had the opportunity. For the last three or four years while they were in government, countries around the world were recognizing that one of the ways we are going to have a more long-term impact on combatting terrorism is to look at ways people are being recruited into extreme actions. Social media is the goldmine for terrorists and their organizations. In fact, there are many websites that are designed for one purpose only, and that is to recruit individuals who could potentially cause extreme, harmful actions not only outside of Canada's borders, but also within Canada.
The former government did not recognize that. It did not invest resources into that issue. We have, because we believe that in many of those situations, by the government being more proactive and investing in our community activities, we will be able to prevent some of these young people from being lured away where they could plan and cause harm, whether it is to society here in Canada or abroad. There are financial resources following that.
We hope the Conservatives recognize it is time to go beyond trying to divide and cause fear in the minds of Canadians, any more than what was there prior to 2015.
Instead of trying to promote or add a falsehood, in good part, why not participate in and appreciate what we can do to help young people in Canada by preventing them from possibly being lured into these extreme actions, to the detriment not only of Canada but the world.