Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kaycee Madu was in Munson Friday evening, July 23. While the visit was billed as talking about rural crime, the discussion soon centred on establishing a provincial police service.
An audience of about 40 came out which included residents as well as municipal leaders and representation from the RCMP. While a public opinion poll by Pollara Strategic Insight taken in May of last year shows 81 per cent of Albertans support the RCMP, Madu says the support could be higher.
“If you are listening to citizens you will find broad support for it, but if you are listening to councillors and municipal leaders, you will find they are divided. The best way to explain that is there are three things: number one they are concerned about costs; number two, they have concerns about where it will achieve the results for which we are seeking to achieve and number three, obviously the campaign from the police union,” said Madu.
While the Alberta government proposed referendum questions in this upcoming municipal election, including questions on equalization, and daylight saving time. There was no question about provincial policing.
“We haven’t made a decision on whether or not we will put it to a referendum or whether we legislate it. It all depends on the outcome of this consultation and the data we have available to the time we proceed. But we haven’t made a decision. It may be a referendum, it may well be a straight-up implementation,” he said.
The National Police Federation says annually the Federal Government pays about 30 per cent of Alberta RCMP police costs, about $160 million annually. Madu says their goal is to be more efficient at no extra costs to the taxpayer.
“The province is very capable of stepping in to take care of that. Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador all have their own provincial police fully funded by their provinces. If these provinces can do it we can do it,” he said.
“The goal here is not to see an increase in the ratepayers’ taxes because of this. The goal is not to see more increases on municipal budgets, the goal is actually to reduce taxes on ordinary Albertans.”
In 2019 the provincial government announced small counties, towns, and villages, with populations under 5,000 would have to be responsible for policing costs. Many municipal leaders have expressed the increase in cost has not improved policing. Before this, they were not responsible. For Starland taxpayers, the county forked over $61,336 in 2021 and project up to $187,137 by 2024.
Madu says this is why they need to restructure policing.
“There is a role for commissioned police officers, there is a role for peace officers, there is a place for community police officers as well. We have to ask ourselves if we have the right police model and that is what this consultation and this study is going to answer for us. I want boots on the ground. The idea we are spending so much money and still complaints about police presence is not acceptable form, hence the reason why we are looking at this problem.
Madu’s visit came just a day after his letter to Trudeau asking individuals, including vulnerable persons, be allowed to carry pepper spray, for self-defense. He says this idea came from consultation from Albertans.
“Vulnerable populations that have been in constant attack by hate-motivated attacks have been calling upon me as Justice Minister and their government to do more to protect vulnerable Albertans. There is no better way to ensure vulnerable women have the tools they need to protect themselves at that moment,” he said. There is a lot we can do as a society, but at that particular moment if you don’t have the tool to ward off an attacker, they are going to be attacked.”
