From Hansard, June 28.
Mr. David Anderson (Cypress Hills�Grasslands, CPC): Mr. Speaker, last week I challenged the government on its plans to close five single-person RCMP detachments along a 100 mile stretch of the Canada-U.S. border. The government said it was a provincial issue. It is not anymore. Last weekend, someone ran the border near Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Because of chronic understaffing, the RCMP could not respond. Instead, they resorted to phoning the Val Marie bar and local residents to see if they had seen him.
Will the government admit that these closures are leaving our borders unprotected?
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Hon. Anne McLellan: Mr. Speaker, there are 71 million crossings in this country every year. Virtually every one of them stops legally at the border, either on our side or on the American side. In fact, these closings of single detachments are redeployments. They take place after consultation with the provinces involved. These redeployments ultimately lead to more effective policing.
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Mr. David Anderson (Cypress Hills�Grasslands, CPC): Mr. Speaker, let us get this straight. The government is going to allow the closure of these detachments. There will be no permanent RCMP presence along a 100 mile stretch of the border, with no officers stationed within 50 miles of the border. Is the government serious? Is it telling us that its new border security plan is to phone the local bar and ask if anyone has seen a stranger?
Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, redeployment of RCMP officers and closures of detachments are operational matters for the RCMP and they are done in consultation with the provinces involved. It is my understanding from the RCMP that the Attorney General for Saskatchewan has been consulted on these closures.
This is indeed true. The Saskatchewan government then decided to keep the news about the closures secret from the area residents.
(previous)
just another example of gov’t in this country(both provincial and federal) where if there is no votes there is no need. love your blog kate.
herman..
Does this Deputy Prime Minister come from another planet? PMPM is really scraping the bottom of the barrel, isn’t he?
Surely you’re not suggesting that the Screecher would LIE to us all, Kate? That would be almost like, well, stealing taxpayer’s money to get re-elected…
It is to laugh or maybe to cry. I just can’t decide which. The incredible stupidity of this decision vs. the comic relief of ostrich like politicians who make decisions like some parachuted in accountant.
I do feel sorry for the RCMP however. They have gone from a noble Canadian institution to a curling bonspiel-trophy toting laughingstock.
I don’t live in the area discussed, but I do live in a small rural region. We pay a portion of our taxes for RCMP policing. Last year at an open house, the Sgt. in charge of the force got up and apologized to the rural community because they had not received any policing due to the local larger towns domestic issues. An apology? For no policing? *sigh*
My thought is that we pay say 5% of the local policing budget. Would that not entitle us to 5% of their time?
And then the media would go nuts if a terrorist act was perpetrated on American soil by someone crossing from Canada into the US through this unguarded section.
Even moreso if the US put up its version of border patrol to police Canada’s entry points.
Pathetic.
PMPM is really scraping the bottom of the barrel, isn’t he?
She’s no threat to his authorita!
I feel so safe.
Just a quick question for our friends in Ontario: Does the RCMP or the OPP do the border patrols out there?
With one of the elements of the ‘firewall’ a provincial police force, would the “A.P.P.” be responsible for the Alberta-US border?
A little passive-aggression on the part of our federal and provincial governments whose contempt for Americans is well known. This is, of course, inexcusable, and will no doubt be more fodder for Americans who quite rightly point to Canada as a haven for terrorists. Anti-US types now know that they have unfettered access to the US through this little stretch of no-man’s land. What a poor excuse for a government. Now that i think of it, since I’m having a hard time getting a green card, this could very well be my way in to the US. Hmm. Where is this place again?
“Billions And Billions And Billions”
None ah you been to school.
Can’t yous guys get it through your thick capos? There’s a big difference between gross and net.
All busineeses have a lota expenses before you get your final payout. Weather it be, regisiterin pieces, helpin the Indians, keepin an eye on the fish stocks etc.
Pauly Wallnuts
What’s all the fuss about? Just another day in Cannuckistan… We should be celebrating our situation. I know because a beer ad told me so!
I guess our government is really trying to make our border an unprotected border at least on our side.
What should be noted is that we are opening Canada to terrorists and other criminal elements from the US as they would be coming into Canada from this type of inattention rather than the other direction.
From what I have experienced in the States they will look after their side. (They walk the walk in addition to talking the talk).
I don’t like the idea of these detachments being closed down.
That being said, I think many of the comments above have confused what the purpose of the border crossing stations are. They are to monitor those who would enter Canada (from the US). Their purpose is not to vet those who would cross from Canada to the US. That is the purpose of the US border patrol. Whether or not our crossing stations are manned has little or no effect on the role of the USBP. We do not require exit visas in order to leave Canada.
Where we need to focus our attention is on other entry points (ports and airports) which would be used by people overseas as a stepping stone to the US. But then again, once they are in Canada it is still the responsibility of the USBP to police the US border. Not ours. And given the experience of that NB axe murderer, they’ve still got some improving to do.
Again, I don’t like the idea of an absent police presense for those rural communities (and I would like the decision reversed), but that doesn’t have much bearing on US border security.
Alan
I used to live in the Beautiful Cypress Hills. It is rugged, forested, rolling hills plunked on the flat plains. Approximatly 300 sq. miles of breathtaking beauty. The route for crooks through the hills is PERFECT.
The Cypress Hills is stanchly Conservitive, ND/Liberanos are ignored there. If a blistering, blabbing, frothing, drooling, huggy-baby-kissing politician comes within spitting distance, he is humiliated by the self sufficient, proud people who live there.
My uncle told me he has never set eyes on Calvert but he said that Romanov went balistic and had to be removed from sight during a campaign speech in the Cypress Hills. The ND and the Liberanos have ‘plans’ for that part of the country because it is so beautiful BUT it is PRIVATLY owned by ranchers and farmers. It is a ‘boil’ on the commie mind set of our rulers.
David Anderson is an apt representitive from the Cypress Hills. He is intellegent, well spoken, polite, honest, kind, hates liars and thieves, repects people who earn respect, independant, non whiner, INDEPENDANT, in short – he is a man of REAL means – and very handsome. I am proud of my people and I am proud of the man they elected to represent them in Ottawa. We need more citizens like the wonderful people of the Cypress Hills; they are the sons and daughters of the brave pioneers that went West with dreams and energy and BUILT the country without any government hand outs.
Something sinister is a foot and I don’t like it. The “Reds” don’t like my beautiful corner of the country and they are planning something.
“The Saskatchewan government then decided to keep the news about the closures secret from the area residents.”
Well, that doesn’t surprise me in the least. After all, the NDPee’rs years ago caved in to the federal libs cost-cutting measures that resulted in the plundering and decay of our health care system. So now, they are caving in to the fed libs on RCMP cost containing issues. Just another of many examples of NDP/Librano collusion to hide what these compulsive bean-counters are really doing with our tax dollars – that is wasting, mismanaging, and stealing them. Business as usual, for the NDP/Librano bunch.
Well, if they’re going to shovel money into Ralph Goodale’s Regina riding, they gotta find the money from somewhere…
The new “open border” means access for all those Chinese spies to send a couple of half cocked lunatics with a bomb into the United States; and then blame it all on a bunch of “religious fanatics”.
So much for defending Canadian sovereignty with this half baked plan of “beefing up security”. Please spare me.
With this kind of planning; you could roll up an old Flak 88mm, lay 10 rounds into Parliament and the democratic deficit would be eliminated.
What a complete farce. Your tax dollars hard at work protecting your economic interests, like “free trade” with our largest trading partner. Another brilliant plan by the Ministry Responsible for National Scandal.
Swine NDP and Libs…. that’s all I can say.
Joe Canuck, Saskatchewan’s NDP didn’t cave. They were bought, just like everybody else Paully needed support from. Calvert even went on telly and said Saskatchewan voters would be voting Liberal because the Libs cared about the province. Hope there aren’t many good folks there who actually believe this pile of martian dung.
It pains me that the “world’s longest undefended border” will, it seems, eventually become a well defended one. At least on this side. The citizens that comprise the Minuteman group will, by instilling political necessity, force that result. PMPM can blame all of it on the US and fan the flames of anti-Americanism to continue hoodwinking gullible Canadians into distraction.
Iron Lady, with the possible exception of Ralph Goodale’s riding, very few people in Sask, would fall for that ‘pile of martian dung’ as you put it. It appears that since Jack Laydown got in bed with PMPM, Calvert feels compelled to do the same with Ralph. Follow thy leaders….!
“Screeching Annie” is also sometimes refereed to as “shit for brains”.
Wonder why?