Public Safety committee  There's a variety of manners in which they are insured, and that's a provincial consideration. In some provinces they're covered under the workers' compensation board for their particular province. In other provinces there is specific insurance that the province has retained for them.

Public Safety committee  No, there is no overarching provision.

Public Safety committee  We must make sure that the tasks and functions that we assign to them have no associated risk. It is essential for us not to assign them tasks that would expose them to danger. I believe that the training they receive is sufficient. But we always have to make sure that they are not given any dangerous tasks.

Public Safety committee  There is no committee as such to discuss the auxiliary constables program and recruiting. But there is a committee that discusses ways to attract a variety of people to the RCMP. In those discussions, we consider not only regular members, but also auxiliary constables and other volunteer programs.

Public Safety committee  They help us with our administrative work, like filling in forms. They are involved in a lot of our administrative work.

Public Safety committee  Correct.

Public Safety committee  We do not have programs specifically designed to recruit auxiliary constables. We already have difficulties and challenges in reaching the ratios we would like for regular members.

Public Safety committee  The commander has to consider the diversity in the community. We try to attract people from the communities where we provide our policing services, but it is the commander who tries to determine who those people are and to attract them.

Public Safety committee  The training is only for their own protection if they are ever exposed to situations like that. We try not to expose them. But it is possible, since they are with us in our police cars. When we get to the scene of an incident, it is certainly possible that they may be exposed, but we try to protect them.

Public Safety committee  I can answer your question. There are requirements that need to be met, medically and psychologically, in advance of occupying an isolated duration post or a northern post. It is not specific to just the member, but also the member's spouse as well. Prior to our last northern post, my wife and I both underwent that type of testing, and it continues today.

Public Safety committee  First, it depends on their level of training and which province you're in. That's certainly a consideration. Each individual call or function that you're having that auxiliary constable perform is a risk assessment that has to be undertaken. Certainly they are on regular preventive patrols with a full-fledged member of the RCMP in a variety of provinces throughout the country.

Public Safety committee  Potentially. You certainly have to be mindful of finding a safe function and a safe place for that auxiliary because as you pointed out, there might not always be the possibility of dropping off that auxiliary. Your risk can be minimized, but it can't be entirely eliminated. We are very mindful of creating the safest possible situation for the auxiliary, and manning the radio might be the function they operate.

Public Safety committee  No. They're not operating police cars. They accompany the regular member on preventive patrols and attend some calls for service.

Public Safety committee  Again, it varies from province to province.

Public Safety committee  Okay, they all receive first aid and CPR training. They receive training on our intervention management model, so our use of force model is what that pertains to. They receive some health and safety training as well.