National Police Federation criticizes Alberta Next Panel’s law enforcement recommendations
CBC
The national RCMP union is criticizing what it calls a "misleading" report that urges Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government to continue steps to ditch the Mounties.
Brian Sauvé, the head of the National Police Federation, says the Alberta Next Panel is trying to revive a proposal that has already been rejected by Albertans.
And he says the panel's report is using outdated references and inaccurate federal policy to justify its stance.
The Alberta Next Panel was created and led by Smith to gauge public feedback on how to reset the relationship with the federal government. The panel held surveys and in-person town hall meetings this year. Just before Christmas it issued its recommendations.
In its Dec. 18 report, the panel said there is concern about the effectiveness of the federal police force and urged the government to continue plans to hand over the RCMP's community policing services to a provincial counterpart. It said in-person straw polling showed support for shedding the Mounties, while some online comments strongly opposed the move.
"Ontario and Quebec have shown how a provincial police service can work alongside the RCMP's federal crimes division. Alberta is now a large province as well and should likewise take on this core element of self-governance," the panel said.
The report outlines shrinking recruitment, stating there are 500 unfilled positions within the police force and noting that’s about one-sixth of the total number of officers that the province and municipalities pay Ottawa to supply.
But there are an "abundance" of candidates for the developing municipal police force in Grande Prairie, the report says, using the northern Alberta city of about 70,000 as an example of why the province can succeed where it says the federal organization has faltered.
The panel's report also suggests that as Ottawa looks to overhaul its police force, it will retreat from provincial policing in 2032 when the current agreements expire.
Sauvé took issue with both those claims, calling the report "politically driven" and saying that he believes it is obfuscating the reality on the ground.
"This includes outdated references to RCMP staffing challenges and the mischaracterization of federal policy, despite this federal government recently having reaffirmed its commitment to RCMP contract policing beyond 2032," Sauvé said in a statement issued Monday.
Arthur Green, a spokesperson for Alberta’s Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services, responded to the union's comments by stating the provincial government has received the panel's recommendations, will review them, and that it is taking action to ensure it is meeting the province's public safety needs.
"Once fully operational, the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service will help fill gaps, reduce response times and augment and support all law enforcement in the province, including the RCMP, First Nations police services and municipal police," Green said.
As part of the ongoing federal-provincial agreement, the RCMP polices about 20 per cent of Albertans, the Alberta Next Panel’s report says. Because of that, it suggests the issue is too narrowly focused to justify a provincewide referendum.
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