Valda Behrens – Edmonton Journal
If you were just glimpsing the news in Alberta these past few months, you might get the impression that the RCMP is an antiquated and disjointed police force no longer capable of responding to our province’s needs.
You might also conclude that, given Danielle Smith’s recent appointment of a commissioner for the newly established Alberta Sheriffs Police Service, that the RCMP will increasingly not play any meaningful policing role in Alberta. This is something former prime minister Justin Trudeau suggested in the dying days of his tenure this past February, not just for Alberta but for the country.
Trudeau, with his popularity at an all-time low, argued that it was time to get the RCMP out of contract policing, and turn it into something of an American-style FBI. In arguably bizarre Trudeau fashion, he dropped a white paper days before his resignation. And a white paper, it appears, that was most certainly offside with the RCMP and federal government generally.
Perhaps there was no better illustration of this than when newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney promptly announced within weeks of the election the immediate recruitment and onboarding of 1,000 uniformed officers to respond to Mountie shortages in Alberta and beyond.
It’s rare that you will find a Trudeau on the same page as a Conservative Alberta government, but here we are. Strange times make for stranger bedfellows. As a former RCMP public service employee with the High River detachment, I have seen my fair share of the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to policing. There is no doubt that it has been less than perfect, and the RCMP has had a lot to account for at times.
But the reality is that the RCMP, by way of having served our province for well over 100 years, is deeply woven into the fabric of many Alberta communities whose only policing relationship has been with the Mounties. Getting to know the non-uniformed staff who work at some of the 114 detachments across the province, as I have, plus hundreds more who work for specialized units at district offices, has been eye-opening, to say the least.
It is worth noting that it is mostly Albertans in these roles, not uniformed officers whose postings are time-limited. These are Albertans who deeply understand the imperative of keeping their communities safe, and what it takes to operate a nimble and sophisticated policing agency with not just local, but regional and national clout.
As a regional vice-president working with these Albertans, I have seen how much those who serve in operational roles are as passionate as our premier about ensuring strong public safety outcomes.
Last month, I attended the Alberta Municipalities Association trade show in Calgary, and later, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta trade show right here in Edmonton, to highlight this largely invisible network of RCMP employees in Alberta.
I was struck by the number of mayors and councillors from big municipalities and small, who approached me to express their confidence in the RCMP, noting the very active relationship their communities have with detachment commanders and other key staff. Many also emphasized how committed they are to making these relationships even stronger.
The national recruitment and training of another 1,000 qualified uniformed officers is welcome news. These municipalities are mostly preoccupied with staffing up, not severing ties. The reality is that the tax dollars being invested in a new provincial police force could instead be deployed to reinforce the RCMP ranks, versus starting from scratch.
No doubt, with all of the political noise around policing in our province, it’s hard to tell what Albertans actually believe. According to the National Police Federation, 78 per cent of Albertans see no reason to change policing models. Ultimately, Albertans care about strong public safety outcomes, efficiently delivered, and most municipalities seem very keen to build on what is already working well with the RCMP.
I hope Alberta’s MLAs are able to hear this message.
Valda Behrens is a former RCMP employee and now works closely with RCMP operational staff throughout in Alberta in her capacity with the Union of Safety and Justice Employees (USJE).
