But the economic impact of organized crime is only one measurement of the harm these activities inflict. Mr. Speaker, our communities pay dearly to finance organized crime kingpins. One shipment of heroin landed successfully in Canada can lead to numerous deaths and human suffering in a city like Vancouver or Toronto. Children are hooked by schoolyard pushers. Hard drug use drastically increases the chances of infection with HIV and other diseases.
Families can suffer under domestic violence and child abuse.
Canadians are also seeing first-hand the problem of organized crime violence. In Quebec, for example, biker gangs have been tied to dozens of bombings and related violence. Biker gangs are a very visible sign of organized crime, but other groups are buried deep, disguising themselves as legitimate enterprises or using today's technology to prey on their victims from afar. Mr. Speaker, this government will not allow organized criminals to use their ill-gotten gains and threats of violence to intimidate our communities. Allow me to elaborate on what Canada is doing to deal with this huge crime challenge.