Mr. Speaker, I rise to follow up on a question about the government's funding for police officers in cities and towns across Canada. I asked this question in the House on April 20. Earlier that morning I had met with representatives of the Canadian Police Association as part of their annual police day on the Hill.
I had an opportunity to sit down with three police officers from British Columbia, two of whom were from the Victoria Police Department and one from the Coquitlam RCMP detachment. In addition, I have had the pleasure of meeting with police representatives on a number of occasions in my role as public safety critic for the New Democratic Party. I can say very clearly that it would do well for all members of the House, and the government in particular, to start listening to police officers about the positive social investments needed in our communities to keep Canadians safe.
The CPA came to Parliament Hill with three key priorities: first, long-term sustainable funding for police officer recruitment; second, an independent police association to facilitate collective bargaining for RCMP members; and third, a public safety officer compensation benefit for the families of fallen police officers.
I am pleased to say that New Democrats have stood in the House and supported the Canadian Police Association on each and every one of those matters. It is time for the government to follow suit.
With regard to the long-term sustainable funding for police officers, New Democrats have long supported an increase in resources for policing. New Democrats especially want to see more community policing in Canada. When police officers work in partnership with schools, with neighbourhood associations, with cultural groups and with leaders in the community our streets are safer for everyone.
In Vancouver Kingsway, we want to see more police in our communities, on Main Street, at the SkyTrain stations and patrolling our parks. This is the kind of police presence that works for prevention and it works to bolster community confidence.
We have called for funds to be tied directly to the recruitment of officers and for the funds to be renewed and sustainable in the future. This is critical because it is not enough just to advance funding for the creation of positions. Stable funding is needed to sustain these positions well into the future. We also must remember that for every one police officer position we create, we need civilian support staff who do critical work in supporting that police officer.
New Democrats also believe in the right to collective bargaining for all Canadians and that right belongs to RCMP officers no less. Police officers in municipal police forces across this country have the right to collectively bargain in detachments without any interruption in service or impact on public safety, but the RCMP is the only police force in our country that does not have this right.
The government should stop fighting RCMP officers in court over their access to basic labour rights enjoyed by virtually every other Canadian and work with them instead to further the safety of our communities. RCMP officers simply want a right to have a say in their working conditions and, with essential services obviously being a designation that they would fall under, this would present no interruption or threat to the provision of services.
Last, New Democrats believe that the government should implement a public safety officer compensation benefit for the families of fallen police officers. My colleague from Nickel Belt introduced a private member's bill that would establish a $300,000 benefit for families of fallen RCMP officers that would be payable regardless of years of service. I was proud to second that bill, Bill C-514, when it was introduced in the House and I would call on all members to support this. We do not care who gets the credit. We just want to see that it gets done.
I have three questions. First, will the government commit to providing permanent stable funding for new police officers? Second, will it work with RCMP officers to allow them to exercise their rights to free collective bargaining to improve their working conditions? Third, will the government join with New Democrats and support a $300,000 benefit for families of fallen RCMP officers and for public safety officers across the country?
