RCMP Staff Relations Representative (SRR) Press Release – RCMP Staff Relations Representatives declared their deep disappointment today after the Harper government missed an opportunity in Budget 2009 to honour their word by supporting RCMP members and reversing an ill-conceived wage rollback.
On December 11, 2008, Treasury Board announced its decision to rollback a wage agreement with the RCMP, and amended the new rates of pay for the second and third year of the most recent three-year compensation arrangement. At no time did Treasury Board provide advance notice of its decision, nor did it negotiate, consult, or even discuss the rollback with RCMP representatives who negotiated the agreement in good faith with the Government of Canada. These changes will have a detrimental effect on the RCMP’s ability to recruit new members and retain seasoned veterans.
“The Harper government missed an opportunity in today’s budget to do the right thing and live up to their word,” said S/Sgt. Brian Roach. “Fixing this grave mistake is about securing the future of the RCMP by ensuring we can compete for the top new police talent and protect Canadians today and for years to come.”
A recent national poll indicated a majority of Canadians support a plan to ensure RCMP members receive the previously agreed wage increase or a further wage increase in 2009. Significantly, only one in four Canadians say they support the government’s decision to rollback the negotiated RCMP rates of pay.
“From coast to coast, members of the RCMP are disillusioned following this breakdown of trust with the Harper government,” said Roach. “This is the ultimate insult for RCMP members who serve in more Canadians communities and postings overseas than any other government department.”
CallForBackup.ca was launched to help generate support and spark discussion about the wage rollback and what it means for Canadian public safety. Over 10,500 individuals have signed an online petition-signatures continue to be added daily-and more than 2,000 letters to MPs have been sent supporting RCMP members affected by the wage rollback.
The Harper government committed to tackling crime by strengthening Canadian police forces like the RCMP. By taking the unprecedented step of rolling back a previously agreed wage increase for the RCMP, this government risks creating long-term challenges for the retention and recruitment of members, and in so doing, creates an increased risk for Canadian public safety.
I am glad you only want the BCPP back as I certainly would not want the number of jurisdictions such as the US has between our border and Seattle. Over 100. Just don’t look to one non RCMP provincial force to be a panacea for your concerns.
Bob Stewart was a good Chief operationally. He liked the idea of a regional force just like Ontario’s Peel Regional, York Regional, Hamilton-Wentworth Regional, Durham Regional, Niagara Regional, Waterloo Regional et al. The other 15 departments are not Regional.
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Research as to why the RCMP took over from the BCPP leads one into two different directions. Some, mostly supporters of the RCMP status quo state that the BCPP were a thoroughly corrupt and inefectual organization. The truth is that the coalition government was falling apart and the provincial Conservatives were threatening to leave their Liberal colleages high and dry. The coalition government saved 1.7 million dollars by accepting the RCMP contract, money that could be spent on public works projects that the Tories were in favour of. In the end, this action (and other dseperate actions on the part of the Grits) did not keep the coalition together and it was defeated by W.A.C. Bennett’s Social Credit party in 1952.
The vast majority of provincials signed on with the RCMP. So 92 years of history ended, but 59 years of history began.
I favour B.C. having its own provincial police force and happen to agree with a lot (but not all) of what Wallace Craig says about this agreement. But I acknowledge that many highly intelligent people favour the continuation of the RCMP contract with B.C. Former VPD police cheif Bob Stewart wrote a pretty good piece calling for the RCMP’s withdrawal from the large lower mainland and greater Victoria detachments in favour of the creation of regional or metropolitan police forces but supported the continuation of the RCMP’s presence in B.C. as its provincial police force in rural B.C.
For every piece of evidence you come up with in support of the status quo, I can find a piece of evidence in favour of bringing back the BCPP. So, like I said earlier, lets agree to disagree on this point.
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Yes, you are right, those pesky public information bulletins and statistics, ponzi schemes, investigation updates, clarifications, contact numbers, are all pro RCMP. No doubt some subliminal advertising as well to corrupt the youth. Look for the facts Ma’am, not the hyperbole.
The RCMP studies are available over the internet and also by FOI requests. No big secret. Its been the same for decades. Just by closing contracts you think that this will cure the problems. Really? How naive. Same people, smaller structure, same ideology. Its not the contract policing that makes poor management or morale.
I am shocked that most people do not know the legal finery to sue the RCMP. Its done every single day, except holidays, in every car crash, excessive force claim, or damage claim in which the RCMP is involved. Any first year law student can tell you that, or in fact anybody that has been in a fender bender with the RCMP. In fact, if you call those secretive people in the RCMP civil litigation department, they will tell you themselves how to do it. Oops I guess that makes them somewhat accountable doesn’t it?
Wallace Craig rails against the demons on a regular basis. Remember when you hear the platitudes that he spouts, that is was on his watch and that of his ilk, that we developed the new social order of drive by shootings, dial dope operations, double dead time, conditional sentence abuse, repeated offender release, diminished police powers, ad nauseam. Where was he when the bridge was collapsing?
Ever research why the RCMP took over BC? Do you think there were no issues with the BCPP? You seem to be from the east coast, how is the non RCMP highway patrol doing these days? Perhaps the Newfoundland Constabulary would be amenable to policing the Maritimes? I am not sure though, they get a lot of complaints against them. Their public complaints commission is indeed busy.
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Deepthroat, any RCMP website is going to supply me with very pro-RCMP information that ignores the very deep problems that this force faces. Quite frankly, I do not think the problems can be fixed without the RCMP getting out of the business of contract policing.
As to passing the buck, a few years ago the mother of Ian Bush (I’m sure I do not need to remind anyone about that issue) decided to sue the RCMP, the office of B.C.’s Solicitor General and the office of B.C’s Attorney General. The AG (Wally Oppal, a man I once thought had something on the ball, not any more) expressed surprise that he was and the SG (the aptly named John Les) were named in the lawsuit. He told reporters that the RCMP were a federal agency and seperate from the government of B.C. Too often, problems with the RCMP (and this brings up the whole issue of accountability) are referred back to Ottawa. A political decision by the long-dead coalition government brought the RCMP into B.C. (okay, they had been in the province since 1917 but just as federal law enforcement) and the administration of justice is a provincial responsibility (the deal with Ottawa cannot trump the Constitution Act).
I think we have exhausted this topic and should agree to disagree. To get back to my original point about Harper and the Alberta Firewall letter, anyone who is interested should try goggling it.
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I wasn’t saying anything like that or rambling.
Someone was asking me about it one day and I said I didn’t know what the ranks in police work paid in the RCMP, maybe he wanted to apply.
I think he wanted to go into police work and his main reason might have been only for the pay because he didn’t feel working today for justice was a good enough reason to go into police work for, I guess with all the reports coming out.
So I should tell him the next time I see him to go into municipal and provincial that’s it’s a far better work environment and pay scale.
Thanks I will pass this on and tell him what you said.
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MS, your figures are for the backwater municipalities in provincial jurisdiction. Even with the return from the feds, the provinces, and the municipalities all are soaked 5% off the top of their contracts for administration, read, funding Ottawa and the HQ’s in the provinces. In the case of the huge lower mainland municipalities after a small number of officers, all they get is 5% back. They also have to pay 100% of the overtime bills, except for special functions funded by Ottawa and the province. The Canada wide laboratory structure of the RCMP also now charges back.
The large municipalities in most cases provide the buildings, upkeep, furniture, and the vast majority of computers and work related stationary etc. Its only in the backwaters that Public Works provides buildings. Places like Whistler also pay subsidies for housing.
That is why the state of some of the backwater detachments are still rooted in the 1950’s.
Local accountability with the RCMP has increased tenfold since the 1970’s. Municipalities now choose their own Officer In Charge from a list of candidates for example. Community meetings, consultative groups have all been introduced in the last 15 years or so. Even backwater towns have a say.
I do not agree that the province passes the buck to Ottawa. To what “issue” do you refer?
Alcan, a constable with 3 years service now makes just over $70,000. Wages of the RCMP are public knowledge, just as the Municipal and Provincial forces. And you are right, if you fired the RCMP tomorrow, where would you get the 6000 people to form the Provincial Police? They are still 500 short in BC as it is, let alone come up with at least that many, as any new force would have a union and you would not be able to get away with the minimum RCMP officers on the road you have now.
I think both of you should have a good read at the the RCMP web sites. There is a lot of basic information there.
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“What’s the pay today for a rookie, a first class constable, anyone know and what about a an Investigator, a Coporal, a Sergeant or an Inspector?”
What’s the pay for a first-class constable? Why, it’s less than the pay for a first-class constable for Toronto Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Peel Regional Police, Vancouver Police, York Regional Police, and nearly every large police force outside of Quebec.
You may ramble about Mounties being paid too much, Alcan, but comparing apples to apples, members are underpaid.
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Well if they shut down the RCMP they would all go work for the Provinces anyway, so what’s the difference?
What’s the pay today for a rookie, a first class constable, anyone know and what about a an Investigator, a Coporal, a Sergeant or an Inspector?
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You are correct that policing is not just a provincial responsibility, Deepthroat, but the provinces are constitutionally responsible for the bulk of policing. Basically, the federal government makes criminal law and the provinces enforce that law. In Ontario and in Quebec, the RCMP just carry out federal law enforcement duties and only enforce the Criminal Code of Canada in areas of federal jursidiction. The Constitution Act is quite clear on this division as was the BNA Act before it. The Police Act of B.C. gives the RCMP permission to be the province’s police force. And the province pays 100% of the cost of its bill for RCMP services and gets 30% back.
The provinces do kick in for some of the bills for small municipalities but I’m not sure if your information regarding a provincial contribution to municipalities with populations over 15,000 inhabitants is corrrect. From my understanding those municipalities pay 100% of the cost and get 15% back from the feds and generally zip from the provinces; and the subsidy was removed for any new contracts (such as the Codiac Region in New Brunswick).
Though I would gladly admit that the majority of RCMP officers in this country are hard-working and decent people, it is not a well-run organization and many of the careerists running the show both in the provincial divisions and in Ottawa do not seem to have a clue how to fix the problems. But mostly, I blame the politicians.
But you are correct, for me the problem is accountability. It all comes back to the constitional division of powers and who should be in charge. One of the reasons why contract policing is so popular with provincial politians is that they can pass the buck to Ottowa everytime there is a problem.
And just to be fair to Gordon Campbell here in B.C., I am convinced that NDP leader Carole James would be just as unlikely to want to upset the applecart here in B.C. and kick the RCMP out.
Oh, and I never said that the RCMP should be headed by another political hack (Grit or Tory insider). The all-party parlimentary committee I mentioned would preferably choose the Commissioner from the ranks of the RCMP. Elliot is just the inevitable end of the process that started when Trudea’s Grits made the Commissioner a Deputy Minister apointed by the PMO.
And Watts does seem to view the world (and Surrey) with “rose-coloured glasses.”
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There was no secret to the elimination of any of the subsidies. The RCMP used to have a rule about policing over 15,000, however that was in relation to backwater provincial areas. Funding for large municipal contracts still have positions for part provincial funding, part municipal and part of the costs absorbed by the RCMP using funding from the Federal side. The funding is in proportion to the number of officers in the detachments. The absolute minimum is 5% after a certain number.
The RCMP pay for most of the large integrated functions with their municipal and provincial counterparts across the country.
Why would you say “Prime Minister Stephen Harper knows that the RCMP can never return to being as effective at policing even smaller municipalities….” You don’t think the RCMP is just as good as anybody else? Or are you mixing ability with accountability?
Contrary to your opinion, the RCMP is not falling apart. And I would not be so hasty in wanting it headed up by another political hack. It should be filled from within by somebody with NO political affiliation, al la Zack, elected by top management officers across the country.
Your sentiment was repeated with the FBI a number of years ago, and seems they survived, and can still put criminals behind bars. The cops in the RCMP are doing that right now as you read and write your posts, 24/7.
In Dianne Watts world everything is just peachy in Slurrey. Check out a BC blog run by Laila Yuile for some interesting information on that aspect.
Policing is not just a provincial responsibility either. Next time you are talking with Campbell just check and see if he really does hold that opinion.
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Actually, the feds secretly eliminated the subsidy for any new contracts with municipalities over 15,000 inhabitants back in the mid-1990s. This is a major beef that municipalities in the Codiac Region in New Brunswick have with the RCMP contract that was forced on them by Frank McKenna’s provincial Grits back in 1997; they have never received the 15% subsidy (and Moncton didn’t want the Mounties to begin with). The feds want to eliminate the subsidy for all municipalities of 15,000 inhabitants and lower the provincial subsidy from 30% to 15%.
The point is that no one has the guts to leave the table and wants the other guy to do. Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts knows that her municipality has outgrown the RCMP and would be better policed by its own municipal force but balks at the startup costs involved. B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell knows that the best way to fix the problem of RCMP accountability is to simply revise the BCPP but he too balks at the startup costs and doesn’t want frantic phonecalls from mayors with large RCMP contracts (like the previously mentioned Dianne Watts). Prime Minister Stephen Harper knows that the RCMP can never return to being as effective at policing even smaller municipalities and knows that policing is constitutionally the province’s responsibility, but he doesn’t want to be the guy to tell the provinces to get stuffed.
So what you have is a subtle game of chicken, to try and get the other guy at the table to blink first.
While this is going on, the RCMP continue to fall apart. The feds should do as you say and civilianize the RCMP, allow them to unionize (which would effectively end contract policing and federalize the force), and make the commissioner independent (preferably an individual chosen by an all-party parlimentary committee and not the PMO’s office) of the PMO.
I think its all just going to fall apart, however.
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You give Harper too much credit. He does not give a crap about the RCMP. If they really wanted to end contract policing all they would have to do is remove the monetary incentive, ie: subsidies. It is the only thing keeping municipalities in.
Depending on the size of the municipality, they pay a percentage. In the case of the huge detachments the majority of establishment still gets a 5% cut per man. Five percent of 12 million is still a bargain for large municipal contracts. Some small rural towns pay pretty well nothing after federal and provincial money.
Because the RCMP has no union you get less people doing more work for less money, and doing it alone in high risk areas. Surrey wold have to add 300 cops to equal the Vancouver PD model. Think some mayor is going to go for that?
The RCMP has always policed the small and remote areas since formation, handle federal work, and still do both. You cannot replace street experience with federal activities only.
What you need, is to get the Commissioner out of the government and back to being separate and at arms length, and give them a union.
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Absolutely, the hell with contract and collective bargaining, just decree and move on. Hopefully yours is not next….
Supreme Court of Canada said the BC government could not do that. I guess the Feds are different.
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This is likely the “invisible hand” of Stephen Harper at work here. Looking back to his days in Alberta politics, when he was one of the authors of the “Alberta Agenda” firewall letter to then-Premier Ralph Klein, Harper has shown he favours provinces having their own provincial police forces, particularly Alberta.
It would be more honest and straightforward of Harper to simply say that the contract policing era was over. But he is in a minority government situation; its unlikely that all members of his caucas share his views on ending the RCMP’s contract policing “business;” and he doesn’t want to deal with eight frantic provincial Premiers, especially with Canada in recession.
So how do you end contract policing by accident so its not really your fault. Put a civilian political insider in charge of the RCMP; starve them even more for resources and undermine their recruitment; and make sure nothing really gets fixed. Harper is banking on either British Columbia or Alberta (the two richest provinces using the RCMP and the two with the best resources to “walk away” from the deal) to throw up their hands in despair and let the contract lapse in 2012. Then Harper can tell the other provinces that the contract policing era is over and its “those other guys fault.”
I personally do not think that the Mounties should be doing contract policing (their unwieldy mandate is the source of many of their problems) but I am not sure if the sneaky and underhanded way that Harper is undermining the RCMP will leave him much that is worth rebuilding when the dust all settles.
But maybe that is part of the plan too.
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I think they got what they deserved, don’t you?
Maybe if they didn’t use the people’s money in such a careless way the Priminister of Canada would support their efforts.
Maybe he just thinks the force stinks and it’s time to tell them with a pay cut….
I think he didn’t go far enough but it’s a start.
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