RCMP equal to the task, but province needs to pay up
Population has grown, but funding hasn't, write Kevin Halwa and Jeff Mcgowan.
On the heels of Alberta's recent surprise reveal of proposed legislation to explore an independent police service in the province, Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis has been quoted arguing that, “The RCMP just do not have enough human beings to police Canada, regardless of the amount of money that we give them.”
As the union representing RCMP members here in Alberta and across Canada, we feel obligated to respond to this dismissive and misleading comment.
Our obligation stems from one simple question: What money, Minister Ellis?
The Alberta RCMP are responsible for the safety of 1.5 million Albertans across the province, and are responsible for policing about 99 per cent of Alberta's land mass from the Rocky Mountains to the Prairies and everywhere in between. And yet the Government of Alberta has not provided even a dime more for the Alberta RCMP since 2019, as our population grows and crime evolves.
For example, Budget 2023 only delivered increased funding to the Alberta Sheriffs and municipal police services in urban city centres, while ignoring the critical need to increase the number of fully trained RCMP officers in rural and suburban communities. We know that rural Albertans feel represented by the government party, and yet government continues to leave these
Cadets are graduating ready to police throughout Alberta, but the province must commit the funds ...
residents with less, assuming they will still vote blue next time.
Beyond ignoring that the Alberta RCMP have had no new investment under Minister Ellis's or former minister Kaycee Madu's stewardship of the public safety file, he is also wrong in dismissing the RCMP'S ability to recruit.
The fact is, the RCMP has successfully turned a POST-COVID recruitment corner. Depot is back to full troop capacity, and interest in joining the RCMP is high as evidenced by the thousands of interested Canadians applying and hundreds of experienced police officers patching over to the RCMP over the past year.
The National Police Federation (NPF) has been working closely and effectively with the RCMP to enhance and streamline recruitment processes. A joint NPF and RCMP effort has reduced the average application time to under nine months and is currently attracting 800 to 900 new applicants to the RCMP every month. Also, since early 2023, Alberta cadets have had the opportunity to return back to their home province to begin their careers.
As the minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services and under the Provincial Policing Services agreement, Mike Ellis controls the size and scope of RCMP members in Alberta and police funding. As the union for RCMP members, we have long been advocating for the Government of Alberta to invest $80 million over three years to hire 400 RCMP officers to meet Alberta's growing population and future demand, with no response.
Cadets are graduating ready to police throughout Alberta, but the province must commit the funds to secure and welcome them. While existing Alberta RCMP members are continually being asked to do more with less, there is only one person responsible for shortages: our Minister of Public Safety, Mike Ellis.
It is time for the Government of Alberta to stop using public safety as a political football and properly invest in policing across the province. It's time to invest in the highly trained, proven police service accountable to Albertans: the Alberta RCMP.