That still doesn’t justify a regional government – or any government, for that matter – thinking that their role is to tell the police what to do.
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When repeatedly asked about taking responsibility for Legislative Building security away from the impartial sergeant and transferring it to a security force accountable to her department, Reform, Police and Public Safety Secretary Kristen Till consistently dismissed any concerns about political interference.
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I have consistently made clear that politicians dictating matters relating to the police would be untenable. This is not what the Saskatchewan Party government is doing.
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On Tuesday, Till wrote to Rhonda Blackmore, an assistant RCMP in Saskatchewan, telling her it would be “irrational” for the FPA to use its resources to implement the federal government’s gun buyback program.
“As the federal government continues to plan its forfeiture program, it is important to make it clear to you, as our provincial police chief, that the Saskatchewan government does not support and will not allow the use of locally funded resources for any operation associated with the proposed federal government ‘purchase’ of these weapons. Fireworks,” Till wrote in her letter to Blackmore.
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It should be noted that the UCP government in Alberta has reported the exact same thing to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Provinces have the right to challenge the authority of the federal government by legitimate means. One assumes that this approach – or better yet, through the courts – is more legitimate than the Daniel Smith Sovereignty Act, a contender for the leadership of the UCP, designed to ignore or circumvent federal laws.
But that still doesn’t justify telling politicians how they should police.
Now, it may not support Ottawa’s “repurchase” (somewhat different from the uploaded Tell word “forfeit”) affecting about 1,500 models and variants of the so-called assault weapons.
You might rightly argue that this wouldn’t stop gangs in cities from acquiring handguns from the United States or that it was unfair to law-abiding gun owners.
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Sask. A sergeant in arms resigns amid possible security reform
How drug and gang activity increased in Sask. Cities have led to a rise in gun violence
Why the national arms registration failed 30 years ago under Jean Chretien’s liberal federal government had to do with all the people made to feel criminalized by what they saw as a property rights issue. Many of the same arguments are now being re-applied.
You might be upset by disturbing suggestions that Prime Minister Justice Trudeau’s office may have been politicizing the Nova Scotia shooting to sell its gun policies. No politician should do this.
But let’s stop for a moment and think about what message is being sent and how it might be interpreted.
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What happens the next time the RCMP or any other police officer encounters a less stable person who is a threat to themselves or others, but is aware enough to feel empowered by the provincial government that tells them that the RCMP has no right to take their weapons ?
Haven’t the recent arrests made it clear that perhaps politicians need to start thinking about what happens when you foam a mob for political gain?
Concern goes far beyond blatant absurdity Which A regional official writes to any federal officials and tells them how to do their jobs.
Politicians should not tell the police specifically how to do their jobs; It is not the first time that Sask has introduced. The party government was caught doing just that.
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Besides the questionable motive for replacing the sergeant-in-arms—a position held, in recent memory, by all former RCMP officers—with another police authority, there have been many other examples of this Sask. The party government thinks it’s good to get involved in the work of the police.
In particular, there has been a request from this government and its Capital Territory Commission to Regina Police Chief Evan Bray to arrest the scammers of justice for our stolen children for violations of park bylaws.
What makes the handling of the tent protest now even more disturbing is how starkly it contrasts with the tacit support we’ve seen from Prime Minister Scott Moe and others for the Freedom Caravan and other protesters.
These protesters not only broke local regulations in Ottawa. We are now talking about charges of serious crimes in the Criminal Code.
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But instead of condemning this, what we often get from politicians is purely political politics.
Now, tell her Sask. The party government must know that police and politics do not mix.
Mandrake is the political columnist for Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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from San Jose News Bulletin https://sjnewsbulletin.com/murray-mandrake-the-gun-debate-shows-why-politics-and-the-police-dont-mix/
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