Justice committee  Good morning, Mr. Brassard. It's good to see you.

Justice committee  I don't know. I think that, like the marijuana situation, they're going to still provide a service, because some are still going to go the criminal route. Those who can't afford to bet legally but can borrow money from organized crime groups will still go that way, so that's stil

Justice committee  Thanks for the question, Mr. Masse. You hit the nail right on the head. Most people perceive organize crime as a couple of guys wearing leather jackets, hiding in an alley somewhere and beating people up. That's folklore, old movie stuff. The reality is that organized crime gro

Justice committee  The organized crime groups are undoubtedly international. They don't recognize borders at all. Other than the physicality of having to cross a border at some point, when it comes to the online sites and whatnot that are doing this illegally, borders are not an issue. They will fi

Justice committee  Was that question directed at me, sir?

Justice committee  I absolutely agree with what Mr. Lawson just said. The provincial gaming authorities will ultimately make those decisions. I think they'll make very reasonable decisions based on what's best not just for the industry but for government, for safety and for doing things in an envir

Justice committee  I absolutely agree with you. Right now we're having a meeting virtually. In these times, people are spending much more time on computers within their residences because of the COVID situation, obviously, and we don't know what the future brings around that other issue. How much

Justice committee  I do not. I don't have that expertise.

Justice committee  Without a doubt, organized crime will continue to profit. I don't know the exact percentages per se.

Justice committee  Without a doubt. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, AGCO, which has a large OPP contingent in it that conducts investigations around the legal betting schemes and lotteries, etc., is well prepared to put systems in place very similar to what it has now on the other fro

Justice committee  It's tremendous, sir, without a doubt. I can't even begin to estimate the number of people—other experts out there would know—but there is a whole pile of Canadians who are betting and spending billions of dollars annually through systems now, which many wouldn't understand are,

Justice committee  It is. With it comes, of course, turf wars. Much as we would think that two drug dealers are fighting over the turf of one corner in a city somewhere to sell their drugs, the turf wars over the marketplace in illegal gaming have resulted in tremendous acts of violence. What is t

Justice committee  I'm sorry. I wasn't looking up.

Justice committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for inviting me here today to provide some commentary regarding Bill C-218. My name was put forward as a potential witness by the Canadian Gaming Association. One of the arguments made in favour of decrimina