NDP Also Chided New RCMP boss Bob Paulson For Refusing To Comment On The Value Of The Federal Long-Gun Registry.
“The Conservative’s policy means the RCMP must ask permission from the Minister before doing any media,” said NDP Critic for Public Safety, Jasbir Sandhu (Surrey-North). “This not only muzzles the RCMP but removes the essential arms length distance between Harper Government and Canada’s police force. This is wrong”
OTTAWA — New Democrats are condemning the Conservative government’s policy requiring all RCMP communications be approved by Conservative Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.
“The Conservative’s policy means the RCMP must ask permission from the Minister before doing any media,” said NDP Critic for Public Safety, Jasbir Sandhu (Surrey-North). “This not only muzzles the RCMP but removes the essential arms length distance between Harper Government and Canada’s police force. This is wrong”
This unprecedented attempt to control the force will not only affect RCMP communications with media, but also could apply to meetings between the RCMP Commissioner and MPs or senators.
“It’s alarming that the elected representatives of Canadians will no longer be able to meet with the Commissioner, unless they get approval from the minister,” said Sylvain Chicoine (Châteauguay-Saint-Constant), New Democrat Deputy Critic for Public Safety. “The government must stop introducing policies that undermine the independence of institutions that are there to protect Canadians from coast to coast to coast.”
New Democrat also raised questions about this new policy with the Commissioner when he appeared before the Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, January 31.
The NDP justice critic chided the new RCMP boss Bob Paulson for refusing to comment on the value of the federal long-gun registry.
New Democrat MP Jack Harris said it’s “kind of disturbing” that RCMP Commissioner Paulson won’t address the issue.
The government has introduced a bill that would halt registration of long guns and permanently delete more than seven million files on gun ownership.
It would override provisions of the Library and Archives of Canada Act and the Privacy Act to allow for destruction of the records.
At a House of Commons committee, Paulson said it’s not his role to comment publicly on federal legislation.
Paulson, a veteran Mountie, assumed the top job late last year.
