Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to stand in this assembly tonight and speak to this take note debate because I feel a very special connection with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for several reasons.
The first reason is the Regina training depot, the home of the Mounties and where Mounties are born, which is in my home riding. The Regina depot of the RCMP is one of the most revered institutions in Canada and is one of the most respected training facilities for police forces worldwide. I can assure all members that everyone in Saskatchewan takes great pride in having the depot in Regina and in Saskatchewan.
The second connector, however, is far more personal than that. My late mother's first husband was an RCMP officer by the name of Norman Gleadow. Mr. Gleadow was killed on duty while patrolling on the Regina depot. A convict behind bars somehow got hold of a lead pipe, I believe, and was able to grab Mr. Gleadow by the throat as he was patrolling and killed him while he was on duty.
While I never met the gentleman, I certainly have heard about him from my mother and I feel a very deep empathy with the force. With the tragedy that we saw in Mayerthorpe most recently on March 3, it hits home even stronger to someone like myself because of what I had experienced when I was growing up.
The third reason, which I have to get on the record, and the the primary reason I feel such a strong connection to the RCMP is because of a gentleman by the name of William MacRae. Bill MacRae is a former superintendent of the RCMP depot in Regina and one of the finest gentlemen I have ever met.
During the memorial service for the slain officers in Mayerthorpe in early March, which I attended, I met with Commissioner Zaccardelli and spoke of Bill MacRae. Commissioner Zaccardelli told me that Mr. MacRae was a legend in the annals of RCMP history and an icon within RCMP circles.
The reason I mention Mr. MacRae's name is that he exemplifies all that is best about the RCMP. His honesty, his courage, his dedication to the force and his strength of character are attributes that I believe all RCMP recruits and officers strive to achieve.
The point I am trying to get at is that I believe the RCMP needs more recruits and more officers like Mr. MacRae and Norman Gleadow. However the reality is the force is suffering because of lack of resources and, I believe, a lack of commitment from the government to support the RCMP.
I have heard here tonight many times from members opposite comments stating that they have actually increased funding to the RCMP but it does not appear to be the facts because we see and we hear examples of DNA labs being closed down, detachments being closed down and massive vacancies within the force in provincial jurisdictions.
I think all I am looking for is some strong and clear and unequivocal signal from the government that it is firmly committed to supporting the RCMP, not just morally but financially.
We need to strengthen our RCMP forces across Canada. Communities need more RCMP officers. We have heard that tonight over and over again. Yet what we are experiencing is less and less RCMP officers being available for communities and for border security, which I think is a tragedy.
The RCMP in this country is one of our proudest and most significant institutions. We need, if nothing else, to support that institution with all of our will and all of our fibre. However I see no evidence from the government that it shares that conviction with myself. I see nothing to exhibit, by the government's actions, or I should more accurately say inactions, that it chooses to support the RCMP.
if we as Canadians, who hold the RCMP near and dear to our hearts as one of the finest police forces in the world, cannot support this police force then we should all be ashamed and we should all hang our head down.
Let us not forget the tragedy that occurred in Mayerthorpe on March 3 is one that affected all Canadians very deeply because that is the significance that the RCMP holds for every one of us. We must rededicate ourselves to a commitment of increasing the resources and financial capacity of this great police force.