All criminals seek wealth and power through the exploitation of human and material resources and deficiencies in government and the rule of law. What has changed, and what continues to change, is the social and political milieu in which criminals function and the resources and opportunities that are available to them. Criminals and criminal groups in Canada are able to take advantage of a number of factors shaping the contemporary world, including the process of globalization and the proliferation of technology. While these factors determine the course of criminal activity in our society, they also affect each one of our lives in ways that we are still struggling to understand. Thus, crime and criminals are no more than mirrors of the society in which they exist.
Criminal organizations cultivate an image of omnipotence and invulnerability.
In reality, organized crime is a phenomenon that is fundamentally flawed. It is self-destructive and driven by greed, so that while it may exercise scrupulous caution in most of its endeavours, its reach ultimately exceeds its grasp. Thus, while this report paints a picture of criminal activity in Canada that is at times alarming, it is important to remember that criminal vulnerabilities remain constant and that we are learning to exploit them to our advantage. This is not a task that can be undertaken by any one police force or government agency, however. As always, it will require cooperation on both a national and a global scale, a universal recognition that organized crime is a problem that affects all nations and all people.