Justice committee  The Montreal Police Department, Sûreté du Québec, the Customs Agency, the Laval Police Department and the RCMP were all involved. We had a team of approximately 100 investigators plus some 10 investigators from the Canada Revenue Agency. Here we're talking about highly integrated

Justice committee  Good morning. Allow me a few moments for an opening comment. The clandestine labs today are a world apart from the historic stereotype of the 1960s, or that of their resurgence in the 1990s. There is a concerted effort in the world of organized crime to capitalize on this new-f

Justice committee  I shall, sir. I apologize. The legislation has been effective in allowing for the seizure of vast quantities of precursor chemicals destined for these labs. It has been successful in mitigating the diversion of the domestic supply of precursor chemicals. Despite our efforts, we

Justice committee  The CDSA does provide.... It's more a matter of practicality. The situation right now is that we're able to seize and prosecute only at a certain stage. Allow me a moment to explain. If an individual goes out and purchases all the essential chemicals and equipment and stashes th

Justice committee  Basically.

Justice committee  This may be in furtherance to the answer. My understanding right now is that the precursor chemical regulations address precursors. They do not address material or equipment. Our position here vis-à-vis this proposed legislation is that the intent is there. Our reality is that

Justice committee  Absolutely, but we need to be sure that individual possesses them for illegal purposes. The burden of proof then lies on the police and the crown to demonstrate the individual's intention. If there is no evidence to corroborate that intention, we would have a problem.

Justice committee  We do not necessarily support the clause as it stands right now. We are suggesting that your committee should debate other considerations. The scope should not necessarily be limited to methamphetamine. We need to focus on the intention. In its current form, the provision does no

Justice committee  Yes, in the situation that you have described, Mr. Ménard. However, I think that it would be very difficult to produce that corroborating evidence without wiretaps.

Justice committee  My role, Mr. Ménard, is to provide you with information to help you deliberate on the matter.

Justice committee  I am not shy, but I am not a legal expert either.

Justice committee  In my opinion, some amendments might be justified. We understand the intent of the bill. We agree that amendments are needed in order to close the gap.

Justice committee  Not unless we reach a certain point where the production is significantly engaged, where a judge can say there's no doubt that this is what's being produced. But if it's at the stage where the individuals have acquired all the equipment and essential chemicals and materials and t

Justice committee  That would be my understanding.

Justice committee  Thank you for the opportunity, sir. As I mentioned in French, I'm not a lawyer, so I'll be careful not to say that I can give any interpretation. I don't want to interpret a proposed bill. However, from the law enforcement perspective, as I mentioned in the opening statement an