Earlier this week the Globe & Mail hosted a discussion on the future of the RCMP in British Columbia:
RCMP in BC
The session included G&M's Gary Mason and BC MLA, Kash Heed. I took part in this discussion and attempted several times to introduce some key consideratations about who's driving this so-called "ultimatum" and the need for clarity around the various roles and responsibilities for policing in that (or any) province in Canada. My sense was that there was an excessive amount of RCMP-bashing by Mason, Heed and many of the participants in the discussion. The RCMP will always have some foothold in every province of Canada as they represent the operational "face" of the country's National Police Service (NPS). No amount of change in terms of municipal or provincial policing arrangements will alter this reality. It's time to carefully, courteously and comprehensively examine the "who does what" question in modern Canadian policing and arrive at some solutions, or even experiments, that will make this essential public service more affordable, more accountable, and more available to closely address the public safety needs of individuals and individual communities.
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