Senate Volume 153, Issue 126

Senator Plett: Let me first of all say I didn’t think Senator Harder had been very mean, as you might have alluded to. As I have said many times, Senator Yussuff, we can choose our friends, so I choose you as a friend. We can’t choose our relatives, and Senator Harder is one of those. Nevertheless, I consider him a friend as well as a relative.

You know, Senator Yussuff, I’m not sure where anything in my speech that I made — again, as I already offered to Senator Harder, I could make the speech one more time; I do have unlimited time and we could make sure that I did say some of those things — but absolutely we need to review that. I think as I said at the end, I applaud Senator Harder for starting an inquiry. There is nothing wrong with us trying to find out.

But when you say it would make political sense to start a provincial policing organization — I’m not sure that’s what you said, but I think you at least alluded to that — I’m sorry, but I disagree that in our economic times I would want to take the political route over the economic route. We can’t afford to establish new policing organizations, and just because some in this chamber believe that the RCMP has become too large, I don’t think the people of Manitoba believe that. I think overall, in Manitoba, we are quite happy with the RCMP. As I said at the start of my speech, in Alberta, they are considering that.

I’m not sure that Ontario or Quebec have better policing than Manitoba does. I don’t want to be critical of them because, fortunately — in my last few dozen years at least — I have not had many run-ins with the law enforcement in any province, and I’m thankful for that.

I’m quite content, and I feel quite well served by the RCMP in Manitoba. I feel very well served by the Parliamentary Protective Service here in the Parliamentary Precinct and by the Ottawa Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, and, certainly, when I go to Quebec, by the Quebec provincial police.

I’m not suggesting that a provincial police department is inferior. I’m just not sure that they are superior. I think the RCMP has served us very well since the beginning of Confederation. I’m kind of proud of seeing those uniforms, and I am a bit of a traditionalist — I’ll admit that. But I kind of wish we still had them here on the Hill some days and be able to see the uniforms here.

(Debate adjourned.)

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