Afghanistan committee  Thank you, Mr. Bachand. I would prefer to answer in English, in order to be more clear and concise, if you don't mind. On the structure, if you will, it's a whole-of-government approach in our efforts in Afghanistan, in everything that's done in Afghanistan. Key components of every area within government participate in order to plan a strategy.

Afghanistan committee  If I could add to this, literacy becomes very important in the professionalization, if you will, of a police force, of a law enforcement agency. Reading and writing reports is something I mentioned, but also, for example, they're provided with inventory, they're provided with equipment, they're provided with the wherewithal to be able to do their jobs.

Afghanistan committee  Absolutely.

Afghanistan committee  The work there is challenging, and as Yves mentioned, it's a reason to stay. It's a reason to not only work harder but work smarter. And I think we're doing that. It's also important to note that the training provided is simply one component. The individual courses provided for combat first aid, search and seizure, vehicle searches, and so on, are to develop expertise.

Afghanistan committee  I'm aware of it. I have not read the full report, no.

Afghanistan committee  A training centre is in the process of being completed at Camp Nathan Smith by the provincial reconstruction team in Kandahar, which will go a long way to doing a number of things. It will provide us with the opportunity.... One of the challenges we have in Afghanistan is the situation of security and being able to get outside the wire, if you will, to provide the training and to return.

Afghanistan committee  Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you this morning and to speak about Canada's, and particularly the RCMP's, international peace operation program, specifically our efforts in Afghanistan. Today I have with me Superintendent Paul Young, officer in charge of operations for the RCMP's international peace operations branch.

Public Safety committee  I am aware of it, but I'm afraid I'm not at liberty, at this point, to discuss exactly the contents.

Public Safety committee  The border patrol is definitely a possibility. But it's very important that when we're talking about a border patrol, we're not simply talking about driving back and forth on the highway--as I always say, burning gas with no goal in mind. We operate very much on an intelligence-led basis, so we go where crime is, or we squeeze crime where we want it to go in order to be able to be there waiting for it.

Public Safety committee  We have not done a study to determine how much that would cost, but we are discussing the possibility of doing a trial at a specific location to verify that.

Public Safety committee  I think that CBSA and the RCMP work very closely together with respect to intellectual property rights, because merchandise will come through a port of entry or through a marine port or through an airport. I think, again, that this close integration, working together to leverage each other, becomes very important.

Public Safety committee  If it's with respect to an organization that's involved in this type of activity, we can conduct an investigation. In organized crime, as I say, they're very opportunistic. There's a lot of money to be made, and as such, we'd be willing to investigate it. They can address themselves to the RCMP.

Public Safety committee  If I may, I'll just add a quick response to this. I have a letter here, Mr. Chairman, addressed to you that I signed this morning, indicating that Assistant Commissioner Cabana was not accurate in his response to you with respect to contribution to the report. He consulted with Canada Border Services Agency and can confirm that neither the RCMP nor CBSA has either received or commented on the northern border strategy, which was recently requested by Secretary Napolitano.

Public Safety committee  Absolutely. Thank you. I spoke about the importance of inland teams and the seamless integration that exists between inland and the border. That is crucial to getting ahead of the problem, internationally and domestically. We have a number of integrated teams working inland--combined forces, special enforcement units that look at organized crime.

Public Safety committee  Would you like me to comment as well on the statements about the missing pieces of the puzzle that Mike spoke about?