March 28, 2024

Feds to pull RCMP from B.C. unless new 20-year deal signed end of November

The federal government is threatening to pull the RCMP out of B.C. if the province doesn’t agree to a new 20-year contract by the end of November.

Solicitor General Shirley Bond revealed the ultimatum yesterday as she updated the Union of B.C. Municipalities on contract negotiations for the province’s police services.

Bond told municipal leaders that the federal government has offered a 20-year take-it-or-leave-it contract without adequate accountability, affordability, cost containment and governance.

“I’m not optimistic that we’re going to make a great deal of headway. I can’t sign an agreement on your behalf if the costs are not defined,” Bond said.

“It’s a pretty significant agreement to sign off on if we don’t have assurances on ongoing costs and accountability.”

Despite finding the proposed deal unreasonable, Bond said the federal government has threatened to pull the RCMP out of B.C. beginning in 2014 if the province doesn’t sign the proposed contract by the end of November and refuse to offer an extension.

Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender, who has been an observer in the negotiations, is furious at the way Ottawa is bullying the province – effectively putting “the gun to our head and we’ll pull the trigger.”

“If we’re going to be forced to sign a contract for the next 20 years that’s not in the interest of our taxpayers, why would we do that?” he scathed. “We pay the bill. We are at a watershed time.”

British Columbia has the largest number of RCMP officers deployed in the country and is the biggest player in a coalition of provinces and territories currently in negotiations on new policing contracts.

Bond said the province will pay approximately $ 300 million for those services this year, and the municipalities pay an additional $ 500 million.

Bond said one of the biggest challenges come from Alberta and Saskatchewan, who both broke away from the negotiations and signed the federal proposal during the summer.

If the federal government insists on playing hardball, Bond said no one should be surprised when her government starts looking at implementing its own provincial police force.

“Our mandate is to continue a contract with the RCMP, the question is how do we do that and at what cost are we prepared to do that,” Bond said. “If the chatter is whether the province wants to start a provincial police force, then the question has to be whether [the federal government is] willing to withdraw their ultimatum.”

The Solicitor General emphasized that establishing a provincial force is not their priority – but planning must begin on a “Plan B.”

“When we talk about Plan B, it’s a really costly plan,” she said. “It’s a very expensive, very challenging prospect, especially with an ultimatum.”

Many members of the UBCM asked Bond whether the federal government could secretly be trying to kill the RCMP and force provinces into establishing their own force.

“It’s so disappointing to sit here and talk about who is going to call who’s bluff. I don’t want to speculate on their motives,” she replied. “Is this the end of contract policing? We want to get back to the table.”

Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver

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