The future of a provincial police force in Alberta to replace the RCMP is up in the air.
In Premier Danielle Smith’s mandate letter to both Justice Minister Mickey Amery and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis, there was no mention of a directive to create a new provincial police force.
However, the idea isn’t completely off the table and will continue to be a topic of discussion with Albertans, said Amery in a recent interview with CBC.
“I would simply say to you that we are going to continue to listen to Albertans, to learn about their needs and their challenges and their concerns, and then bring that back to [cabinet] and to caucus for further contemplation,” responded Amery when asked multiple times if the plan had been shelved since it was no longer mentioned in the mandate letters.
The United Conservative Party has discussed the possibility of replacing the RCMP with their own Alberta police force for years but has come against opposition from municipalities and other Alberta groups regarding issues like cost and staffing.
Polling suggests that the majority of Albertans are not interested in the potential change.
The looming possibility has hurt morale amongst current Alberta RCMP members, according to Curtis Zablocki, the RCMP’s commanding officer for the province. He has called the idea “disruptive and distracting.”
Premier Smith also appears to have cooled off on the idea since last November when she sent mandate letters to her first cabinet, calling the plan a priority. During the provincial election however, she refused to campaign on the plan and was quoted at the time as saying, “Our sheriffs, for instance, are doing a great job.”
Paul McLauchlin, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), has opposed the idea of a provincial police force, saying, “I represent a pretty frugal bunch of folks that are pretty fiscally conservative. They want to see something that would cause results. And would changing the police force really change crime? Changing patches and changing car colours — we know that that’s not the issue,”
The RMA has been advocating against the decision for the past year and have stated that they would rather see bail reform and more effort put into mental health and support for addiction. McLauchlin asserts that many Albertans feel that a new provincial police force would be a “waste of time.”
In the new mandate letter, Amery has been directed to “implement a strategy to ensure violent criminals and gang members are detained and effectively prosecuted.”
Amery’s office will also work alongside Ellis to initiate “a specialized prosecution unit to address deteriorating safety in Alberta’s major urban centres.”
NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir believes that the underlying problem of rising crime in the province stems from other issues, not just the RCMP. “It’s a costly initiative … and there is no evidence that it will help us address the issues that are facing the whole justice system,” said Sabir. He also stated that he is waiting to hear Premier Smith “unequivocally” declare the idea of a provincial police force is no longer in pursuit.
