Thank you. That was easy.
This issue was the subject of a study that lasted three to four years. Three to four years later, there is still no board of management. So it has been talked about for seven years.
If this had happened in a private business, there could be two possible explanations: it could have been due to the incompetence and complacency of employees, who would have ended up being fired, or it could have been because those in charge wanted to block the process. There would have been an explanation one way or the other. A private business would not wait seven years to implement something that was essential and that everyone wanted; everyone meaning the Department of Public Safety, the RCMP and Parliament.
How long will this take, 10 years? Had there been a desire to do due diligence, it would have to have started well before the final report was, in order to figure out how the department would respond and how the RCMP would follow up. Seven years later, Mr. Baker, you are telling us that you still have several points that need verifying, and that you need time before you come up with a recommendation.
Are the committee members being taken for fools? Are parliamentarians being taken for fools? Do you take us for fools?
It's simple. If this kind of system is going to take 10 years, should we just draw a line through it, draw a big X on it, and start another project three years later?
No matter how you look at it, this will have taken 10 years. It's shameful. That would not have been acceptable in a private business. It's all very well to say that the RCMP has its unique characteristics. The Canada Revenue Agency also differs from other agencies, and many other organizations are different. However, it is unacceptable that this has taken so long and that so little has been done—so little. It is unbelievable.
I will end with that. If you would like to respond, go ahead. If not, then do not. I repeat that this is a shameful situation.