Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
I am currently a staff sergeant with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I also hold the position of divisional staff relations representative, commonly known as the SRR. For the last 33 years, I've been re-elected as the SRR in Montreal, representing C Division. Right now, I am also the president of the Association des membres de la police montée du Québec.
I am here on behalf of the three associations, as you can see from our correspondence that is being circulated. We have three different independent associations in the RCMP right now. As you know, a decision was rendered on April 6 that rendered the present system, SRR, unconstitutional, although that situation was waived for an 18-month period by the judge in place.
Having said that, and having the opportunity to be here, let me touch on the points we would like to issue first.
Although we applaud the position taken by Mr. Cape regarding the actual body of all police officers coming into the RCMP who will be entitled to buy back time, let me put you in touch with a situation where we think this is very inconsistent with good practice towards our members.
Having seen the situation in Ontario and Winnipeg, I can tell you that police officers who enter those services as cadets are automatically employed in this police service. Under this bill, the time that these people have spent in their respective police services as cadets—and that period corresponds to six months—will be recognized, but as just mentioned, the period of service before they earn the rank of constable in the RCMP will not be recognized in the case of our own cadets.
We consider this reasoning inconsistent. The other members who are behind me and who are active have all been at the Depot and have all been able to calculate their time as members of the RCMP. As our document indicates, it was only as a result of an administrative decision in 1993-1994 that all other cadets ceased to be able to be appointed employees. This is illogical in our view. Among the people from other parts of Canada,
particularly in the western provinces, the majority of our members right now.... We have over 10,000 members who graduated from depot since that new rule, so that means those 10,000 members will not be allowed to recognize those six months as having been served. As we said in our presentation, it's going to be a no-cost move, and all we're asking you to do is to include these people. As it said in the government paper, they're willing to make all those changes in about two or three years. So we are saying that will be ample time to prepare all the documentation to make them available. It doesn't mean it has to be done today, but at least a positive way for this government, this body here, will be on behalf of our 10,000 members and more, who need that to be recognized.
They are regular members of the RCMP. They have served Canada in their function, and therefore we are submitting on their behalf that it's going to be a discriminatory practice against them if we allow those same other members from the other police departments that count their time as cadets.
I said at the outset I have checked with Ontario, I have checked with Winnipeg. I have not checked with all the other major police departments where the people are. I understand some cadets in Montreal are also paid while they are a cadet, but not all of them. But I would suspect there are other large police departments—for example, Calgary, Edmonton or Vancouver—that have cadet training that will be able to buy that back. I am saying, yes, it's fair for those people to do it, and yes, it's fair to recognize our own cadets. Right now, 10,000 of them are giving their services to Canadians, and to recognize that has to be a positive move. I'm saying if it's only an issue regarding the Income Tax Act, that can be done within the next two or three years. You have the ability right now to include them as such, and I say on their behalf that should be a fair representation to do so.
The other issue is for our civilian population. Civilian members right now are not being recognized with the same type of pension entitlement that regular members of the RCMP are entitled to. As we have stipulated in our presentation, these people are under the same code of conduct. They're under the same work schedule. They can be rotational and they could be ordered transferred in their own functions. So we are speaking on their behalf, saying these people have to be recognized.
There are also those who are directly related to our presentation. However, I prefer to allow you time to ask questions. I am at your disposal. I hope you will take care of our cadets. Don't forget there are 10,000 of them if all.
Thank you.