Mr. Speaker, I first raised this issue during question period on October 5, 1998 and subsequently raised it with the solicitor general on October 19, some two weeks ago.
In the four short minutes I have to express my feelings on such a tragic issue as the totally inadequate funding of our Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the best route I could go is to read from a recent newspaper column I wrote on this very subject. What follows is my weekly column which ran in three dailies and seven weeklies in my huge riding of Prince George—Peace River just last week. This column was entitled “Policing Liberal Priorities”:
It's been almost three weeks since it was revealed that a serious “financial crisis” within the RCMP has forced senior Mounties to issue drastic orders. All RCMP boats remain tied up at the docks, all aircraft have been grounded and there is a ban on overtime and all training.
A couple of weeks ago I discussed how this shortage of funds will jeopardize the safety of Canadians, particularly those in rural British Columbia. The Mounties must make up a $14 million deficit—$8.5 million of that here in B.C. This has been good news for organized crime—there is no risk of being caught by surveillance boats and aircraft—and bad news for small towns who normally must rely on overtime to provide 24-hour policing.
As safety and security are considered a priority—even a right—in our society, filling this gap in policing is our government's top priority. Right? Apparently not, but it should be. The Solicitor General and the Prime Minister's government have had plenty of time to search the federal coffers for $14 million to fulfil an obligation to provide Canadians with adequate law enforcement. The trouble is, they are simply not interested.
So where do the Liberal interests and priorities lie? In the past several days, myself and fellow deputy Justice Critic, the member for Langley—Abbotsford, have been able to identify plenty of places in which to scrounge up enough cash to restore the essential services of the RCMP. While there are too many to list here, I've managed to narrow it down to the—
“Top Ten Reasons Why the Liberals Can't Pay for Policing in Canada”:
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A $145 million spending spree designed to tell Canadians that the end of the Millennium is approaching just in case we hadn't heard. That includes $700,000 to build a replica of a tall ship in service during the War of 1812-14.
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“Other plans” for spending the $3.5 billion surplus the government had this year.
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A $10,000 grant for the International Conference on Visual Poetry.
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$473,000 to reintegrate Malayan soldiers back into their society.
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$2 million to promote the use of electrical energy in Brazil.
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$15.5 million for the heritage minister's free flag handout.
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$120,000 for the Prisoners Support Action Network.
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$49,216 for the Prison Art Foundation.
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A $14.6 million windfall to the Prime Minister's own Shawinigan riding to replace an armoury that the Defence Department originally said they don't need for another seventeen years! What a coincidence—it just happens to be the exact amount needed.
And, the Number One reason why the Liberals can't pay for policing in Canada—
$1.3 million for the development of a more disease resistant banana in Honduras!
Is it any wonder that Canadians are truly questioning the “screwed-up” priorities of this government? These are just some of the ridiculous places where our tax dollars are spent. Tax dollars are supposed to provide us with basic services such as police protection and the enforcement of laws designed to guarantee a safe and orderly society. In total, my colleague from Langley—Abbotsford offered up $60 million in questionable funding priorities in a letter to the Solicitor General to help him “find” the $14 million for the RCMP.
(That) week during Question Period, I informed the House frontline Mounties in Prince George—Peace River (had) told me there will indeed be an increased safety risk to British Columbians, and to the officers themselves, because of these drastic budget cutbacks—