It was agreed, — Whereas, in the province of Manitoba the RCMP is advising rural communities of the closure and centralization of highway patrol units, causing grave concern for the safety and well-being of residents of Manitoba;
Whereas, the RCMP has also advised that this program is to better serve residents of Manitoba, which directly contradicts statements made by municipal officials and concerned citizens;
Whereas such redeployment of RCMP personnel is also occurring in jurisdictions in other parts of Canada;
Whereas in 1998-1999 in the province of Manitoba, the RCMP then informed the provincial government that it was restructuring its detachments to better serve the residents of Manitoba, and denied that any police services would be reduced; and
Whereas in 2004 as a result of testimony before the Gomery inquiry, Canadians learned that Mr. Dawson Hovey, a retired member of the RCMP, testified that a 173 million dollar budget cutback and the elimination of 2200 positions was the real reason for the 1998-1999 redeployment in Manitoba and in other jurisdictions;
That the Standing Committee on Justice, Human Rights, and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, call on the Commissioner of the RCMP and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to immediately cease closure of all operational units and redeployment of personnel in RCMP detachments in Manitoba and that the Committee invite municipal officials of regional municipalities affected by the closing of RMCP detachments to appear before the committee and to describe the effect these closures have had or will have on their communities.