The National Police Federation, which is the bargaining agent for Surrey Mounties, accuses Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth of misleading the public by inferring that Mounties will serve under the Surrey Police Service’s command simply at the stroke of a pen.
NPF president Brian Sauvé says his organization has explored the issue “at length and, to be clear, there is no mechanism to force any member of the RCMP to work under the command of a municipal police force.”
“We are disappointed to see the B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General once again mislead the public on policing in Surrey,” Sauvé stated in a press release issued April 10. “As the largest police union in Canada and B.C. we have made numerous attempts to meet with the Province to discuss our concerns and those requests go unanswered. The NPF once again extends an offer to meet with the Province for meaningful and solutions-based discussions on this and other topics.”
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Sauvé said there is no legislation to compel Mounties to work for the SPS without their “individual, informed consent, and voluntariness.
“Our Members have expressed concerns about working under the command of the SPS and we cannot, in good conscience, allow our Members to work in such a politically charged and unstable environment. If this is the Province’s solution, it is ill-informed,” he said. “We would also draw the Province’s attention to the fact that the National Police Federation’s Membership has a Collective Agreement that enshrines rights and benefits for all Members and it must be respected. We highly encourage the Minister, to read and acknowledge this Agreement.”
Sauvé said if the provincial government believes that “simply collapsing” the Surrey RCMP will result in “bolstering” the B.C. RCMP (Provincial) complement, the NPF “would be placed in a position to challenge that assumption through the appropriate venue.”
The NPF represents 20,000 Mounties, all told.
Meantime, Farnworth told reporters he was “absolutely not” misleading in his comments.
“Let’s be clear, the structure of policing in British Columbia is decided here in British Columbia, it’s not decided in Ottawa, it’s not decided in Surrey, it’s not decided anywhere else. The authority rests solely in the province of British Columbia. I also said we have been working with Public Safety Canada, the commissioner of the RCMP, on a path forward and we have an agreement in principle.”
Farnworth on April 5 wrote in a letter to Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, concerning the question of Mounties serving under SPS command, that “I am pleased to advise you that on March 27th, the Province and Canada agreed to advance a transition path that will not require federal legislative amendments. In this approach, the RCMP would provide transitional support to the SPS during the period after the SPS becomes the City’s police of jurisdiction but before the full transition is complete.”
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