And as you know better than most, greater coordination is essential when criminals can and do use borders to hide from police. The effects of organized crime can be seen from coast to coast, on our streets and in our communities. Public opinion polls have shown us that 91 per cent of Canadians feel that organized crime is a serious problem. That level of concern is remarkable when we also know that most Canadians don't know a lot about how organized crime affects their daily lives. The bottom-line is that they are worried, and rightly so.
Organized crime is a growing concern - locally, nationally and internationally.
It's on the agenda of the G-8 heads of state meetings. It's been the focus of several United Nations meetings. And it's a major concern that we share with our American partners south of the border. It brought partners together such as police, academics, the legal community, federal and provincial government officials and the business sectors to exchange information and ideas. A number of recommendations came out of the Forum, and we have implemented most already.