Justice committee  We also work with the Department of Justice. Once they officially become witnesses, the Department of Justice foots their bill for their relocation, any movement or anything like that.

Justice committee  I didn't think that mandatory minimums were at that point of 10 years, unless I didn't understand the question.

Justice committee  Ultimately, we can't lose sight of the victims. If a particular incident or crime suits a 10-year sentence, or a mandatory minimum, for a youth, then I think we have to realize that's an absolute possibility.

Justice committee  From an investigative point of view, I see the mandatory minimums for firearms offences as being a bonus. They may not be preventative in such a way that a gang member will go, “I could go to jail for four years if I'm caught with this handgun”, but what they will do is take that

Justice committee  Worse. And in terms of the type of firearms we're seeing, traditionally, because there are a lot of rural areas in Manitoba, we saw the sawed-off shotguns and the sawed-off rifles. Now we're seeing high-end or expensive semi-automatic pistols--

Justice committee  British Columbia--but then further investigation through the ATF will show that they're coming from the United States.

Justice committee  Absolutely.

Justice committee  We've had crown attorneys who've had home invasions and that sort of thing by gang members.

Justice committee  I have to agree. I think the initial funding was coming through a legitimate organization, and then this group set up their own committee to handle the funds themselves. That's where there were issues.

Justice committee  I can say we've conducted investigations into members within the Winnipeg Police Service who we believe were corrupted by organized crime and were using their influence as police officers to further these organizations, yes.

Justice committee  That's always an issue for us. We have difficulty in getting our witnesses to come forward. That's always a problem.