Canada does not have specific legislation referring to athletes' use of banned drugs but that will not prevent the authorities from being able to enter the Olympic Village if they have enough evidence.

Olympic officials are currently trying to reach an agreement with Canadian law enforcement authorities on fighting doping at the Vancouver Games.

Arne Ljungqvist , the chairman of the International Olympic Committee's Medical Commission, has said that they are currently in discussions with the Canadians about a strategy for the Games, which are due to open on February 12.

The last Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006 were overshadowed by raids on the Austrian biathlon and cross-country teams by the Italian police, who had received a tip-off from Games officials.

They discovered several doping-related products.

Pound, a Montreal lawyer, has claimed that the Canadians will also have the powers to search athletes living quarters if they suspect they are using drugs. 

He said: "The police have all the necessary powers to investigate trafficking and possession and things like that in relation to those substances.

"You provide [police] with a statement we are in possession of this evidence and on the basis of that we believe there are infractions going on involving drugs A, B and C and it is team X doing that.

"The [police] would probably take that to a judge and say we believe this is sufficient ground to issue a warrant."

For future Olympics, the IOC will enforce a new rule that requires host cities to have an acceptable anti-doping law in place, Ljungqvist said.