Maxime Blanchette-Joncas

You don't agree with what your colleague is saying, then. According to him, it's more difficult to contain irregular crossings because people are entering everywhere, whereas they used to enter at one location.

You've noted that the recruitment and resource problem, particularly in the field, poses risks to the RCMP's ability to maintain its operational capacity as a police force.

Okay. Mr. Duheme, in her 2023 report, the Auditor General mentioned 3,400 positions. In October 2026, three years later, the government is announcing only 1,000. I'm going to do a mathematical calculation, without taking attrition into account. If I subtract 1,000 from 3,400, that's 2,400. Is there a risk today that you won't be able to maintain your operational capacity if you're recruiting [more]

That wasn't the question. Say that there's either one point to intercept people or 147 points, for example. Which is easier?

However, there are many who are unilingual anglophones. That's true.

So there are no issues with recruiting exclusively in English outside Quebec. Everything is bilingual. Is that correct?

The exact number of positions required is 3,000. Is that correct?

Yes. I would like to receive several written responses. We want data, not just lip service.

Mr. Duheme, I have an important question: Does the RCMP currently have the necessary staff to carry out its various mandates in Quebec?

Speaking of risk, I'd like to quote one of your colleagues from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Daniel Dubois. As the acting non-commissioned officer responsible for border patrol in Champlain, Quebec, he's the one ensuring border security at Roxham Road with his team. I think you're very familiar with this issue. He says that the closure of Roxham Road has now made it more difficult to [more]

If you don't think there's a culture problem, why aren't you able to meet your own obligations under the Official Languages Act? I'm not making this up; it's the Commissioner of Official Languages who said that.

Je me souviens Okay. Let me refresh your memory, then. You know that in Quebec, our motto is “”, or “I remember”. So you yourself, in October 2023, were at the Standing Committee on Official Languages, and you committed to restoring training entirely in French. So, today, tell us what has happened over the past three years. What commitments have you made, and what actions have you taken? [more]

Can you formally confirm to us today that in 2026, 100% of officers at the rank of inspector and above who hold a position that is normally bilingual truly meet these language requirements?

Okay. Mr. Duheme, do you think these issues regarding compliance with language obligations, particularly those concerning French, are hindering your efforts to recruit francophones? They might wonder why they would join an organization where French isn't important and where, once again, the obligations under the Official Languages Act can't even be met.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to welcome the witnesses who are with us today. Good morning also to the members of the committee. It's a pleasure to be back on this committee, which I was on from 2019 to 2021. My first questions will be for you, Commissioner Duheme. You are a Quebecker from Chambly. I'd like to hear your comments on a very important issue for Quebeckers. In October 2023, at [more]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Hogan, I'm going to summarize a few key points from your audit. Roughly speaking, in 2023, the RCMP was short 3,000 officers. The RCMP had recruitment problems because it hadn't planned its needs properly. Is that correct?

If there are positions only in English, how do the people who occupy them speak French and offer the service?

Okay. Don't you have an obligation under the Official Languages Act to provide services in French?

Mr. Chair, the problem is that the terminals disconnect after a few seconds. It's the same for me.

From 2017 to 2023, 113,000 asylum seekers passed through one location. How many are currently crossing via the rest of the border in Quebec?