Community safety compromised, MP says
OTTAWA — A smiling Steven Blaney, Canada’s minister of public safety, dismissed a B.C. MP’s complaint Thursday that the government’s focus on balancing the budget and combating domestic terrorism has made communities like Surrey and North Delta more vulnerable to drug- and gang-related crime.
New Democratic Party MP Jasbir Sandhu, citing 23 shootings in the two communities since mid-March, complained in the House of Commons that there was no new money in Tuesday’s federal budget for education and outreach programs targeting youth.
“Residents are worried about their safety, and the safety of their community,” Sandhu told the House of Commons. “But budget 2015 does not even mention youth-gang prevention, gangs or for that matter Surrey.”
Blaney appeared amused by the question, and noted police budgets have “increased steadily” since the Conservatives took power in 2006.
“I invite the member to look at the budget. There is additional funding, including (for) the Ottawa police,” the Quebec MP said. Blaney was referring to the Tuesday budget that continued the government’s major shift in national security assets towards the fight against terrorism after two domestic terror incidents in October. The budget included $10 million over five years to the Ottawa police because of its role in protecting “federal landmarks and institutions of national significance.”
The description was in reference to the shooting of a Canadian soldier, who was a ceremonial guard at the National War Memorial, by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. Ottawa police now watch over the war memorial.
The budget also included $293 million over five years for “enhancing national security,” starting with $18 million in the current fiscal year. That money will be divided between the RCMP, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the Canada Border Services Agency.
Sandhu, who represents the Surrey North riding, said the Conservatives should have found more money to replace police resources shifted from domestic crime to counter-terrorism work.
“Terrorism is a real issue, but we should not have to sacrifice community safety,” he told the Vancouver Sun.
The MP also questioned why Blaney would cite the $10 million going to Ottawa’s police force. “That is of no use to Surrey.”
Commissioner Bob Paulson, in media interviews and testimony before MPs earlier this year, said his force has been stretched thin due to the new focus on domestic terror. He told MPs more than 600 police officers and staff have been shifted from other duties to anti-terrorism work since October.
“I think we’ve sidelined about 321 significant criminal investigations outside counter-terrorism,” he noted in a CBC interview.
The RCMP’s budget has dropped from $2.9 billion in 2013-14 to an estimated $2.6 billion in 2015-16, according to Treasury Board documents.