Opposition leaders rap Higgs for 2021 removal of top RCMP officer
CBC
Opposition leaders say new information about the 2021 departure of the RCMP's top officer in New Brunswick is another example of Premier Blaine Higgs blaming others for his lack of leadership.
CBC News revealed this week that J Division commanding officer Larry Tremblay raised concerns about a Higgs government vision that "blurs the lines between politics and policing" in a July 2021 letter.
The province had asked for Tremblay's removal from the position, leading to Tremblay's retirement from the RCMP later that year.
"It's yet another example of political influence from the premier where it shouldn't be," Liberal Leader Susan Holt said Monday. "We need our public safety leaders at the RCMP to be independent, and we need their work to be clear and transparent.
"This is another example of a lack of leadership from Higgs."
Green Leader David Coon agreed.
"It's more of the same," he said, accusing Higgs of believing he is "the boss of everybody. It was no surprise to me at all."
Then-public safety minister Ted Flemming asked for Tremblay's removal in a July 15, 2021, letter, invoking a section of the province's policing contract with the RCMP.
Flemming told then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki he didn't have confidence in Tremblay to ramp up the fight against drug crime in the province.
In his July 26 letter to Lucki, Tremblay said the force had been fighting drug crime, but the province had never identified it as a priority.
Instead, the Higgs government had a "different vision" of police independence, Tremblay said, and the force must remain "independent and free from influence."
A spokesperson for the Public Safety Department refused to comment on the letter obtained by CBC News. The RCMP also refused to comment.
Under the policing contract, the province can set goals for the RCMP as the provincial police force but operational decisions are up to the force itself.
Tremblay's letter did not identify specific examples of blurred lines between politics and policing but said there were differences between the RCMP and the province on issues, including Crown-Indigenous relationships and how to handle legal protests.
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