Police

Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro is calling on the federal government to fire RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, saying her continued tenure is damaging to the national police force. (CBC)

Anyone remember the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? Not so long ago, the Charter — as the shorthand for it goes — was looked upon as Canada’s most important, close to sacred, document — something like how the British think of the Magna Carta, or the Americans of their Declaration of Independence. (National Post)

An RCMP officer was fatally stabbed Tuesday in Burnaby while helping city staff check on a homeless camp. Police said they were called to an “unfolding incident” on Canada Way between Boundary Road and Willingdon Avenue on Tuesday morning. Two people were taken to hospital. (Vancouver Sun)

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Suspect in Mountie slaying has been in and out of custody on assault charges

Whatever else we may have learned from the truckers’ convoy protests in Ottawa is that Justin Trudeau is an incredibly weak leader. Not that much of a surprise I know, but he managed to remind us and to underline it in the starkest of terms.  In the first instance, the Prime Minister said when he triggered the Emergencies Act that after three weeks the government had run out of options and therefore he had no choice but to take that action. The Emergencies Act is a mid-80’s replacement for the War Measures Act used by his father in October of 1970 to fight against the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ).  For three weeks the truckers blocked Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill. The protest was marked by horn honking, singing and things like bouncy castles and BBQs. It was more like a block or tailgate party that lasted three weeks. Families were drawn to the area and no significant incidents occurred at all.  Contrast this to October of 1970 when there were dozens of bombings across the Island of Montreal and its suburbs. The bombings occurred over a period of weeks in mailboxes frightening Montrealers half to death. The FLQ then kidnapped the British High Commissioner (Ambassador) James Cross and then the provincial Finance Minister Pierre Laporte.  Laporte’s dead body was found in the trunk of a car at the airport in St. Hubert on the South Shore. With no sign of Cross and one dead cabinet minister, then Prime Minister...

By Bob Cooper It's Day 6 of the protest in Ottawa where truckers have blocked streets around Parliament Hill with their rigs and effectively paralyzed the downtown area. They are protesting the federal mandate requiring truckers (and pretty much anyone else) to be vaccinated before crossing the border. Apart from some bad behavior on the weekend, the protest has been peaceful and I mean really peaceful as opposed to the "mostly peaceful" phrase that CNN & MSNBC anchors used to characterize the riots that rocked American cities for months in the summer of 2020. Despite there not having been one act of violence, the Chief Constable of Ottawa, Peter Sloly, went on TV today and suggested the Army might be called in to clear the blockade, an idea so stupid that even Justin Trudeau recognized it and jumped in front of the cameras to say it just wasn't happening. The only intelligent thing he's done. Like ever. This isn’t about vaccines per se or whether or not it’s a good idea to get vax’d. I weighed all of the pros and cons and made the choice to get double-vax’d along with the booster. A few of my close friends chose not to get vax’d and I respect their decisions as they respect mine. The issue here is choice and whether the government should have the power to force its’ citizens to be injected with medication. If you believe the polls, only about a third of Canadians support the truckers and most people in...

In the late evening hours of Monday evening, residents of Maple Ridge, B.C. were treated to the sight of a man wielding an axe against another man in the downtown area.   The RCMP were called and separated the two men. Apparently, the RCMP determined the incident was “consensual” and no charges were laid.  Consensual? How in the world does the man being chased consent to a fight with a man with an axe? There is citizen journalist video of at least part of the incident and it is clear the man who “consented,” according to the RCMP, was running away from the man with the axe, evidently not consenting. It is also clear that when the men were in close proximity the man with the axe was swinging it in an apparent attempt to hit and injure the other man. I failed to see the “consent” as he endeavoured to ward off the blows.  “Police responded to a report of two men fighting on Monday night in the 222000 block area of Lougheed Hwy. Upon police attendance it was determined the fight was consensual between two men known to each other. No significant injuries occurred and an axe was seized. Both parties were uncooperative with police and not interested in police assistance,” said RCMP Insp. Adam Gardner to the media. It’s hard to know where to start with that bit of nonsense. A number of charges in the Criminal Code apply in this case not in the least being in possession of a...

In his opinion piece https://vancouversun.com/opinion/matthew-nathanson-complaint-against-vancouver-mayor-for-acknowledging-systemic-racism-exists-is-a-farce  in The Sun on June 18th, Matthew Nathanson writes: "The existence of systemic racism is a fact. And if you have any doubt about its presence in policing, keep in mind that the national head of the RCMP and the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, among many others, have accepted that as truth. But Canning apparently knows better. Which means leading police officials from across the country are part of a nefarious disinformation campaign to discredit themselves?" There used to be a lot of systemic racism here.  You could see it clearly.  It was as obvious as it was deliberate.  The Oriental Exclusion Act.  Asians not being allowed to vote.  The Komagata Maru incident.  At one time a scheme existed in the British Properties where property owners included a clause in any sales agreement that the purchaser undertook never to sell the property to a Chinese buyer.  Drive around the British Properties now and look at the demographics.  The Chinese have long understood that embracing victimhood in perpetuity is a loser’s game and the best revenge is living well. All of this was a long time ago.  Is there still systemic racism?  Certainly, and it’s just as obvious now as it was then.  Affirmative Action laws that mandate race-based hiring and promotion.  Admission policies at Harvard and Yales that discriminate against Asians.  The Aboriginal Sentencing Discount.  All based upon skin color and no matter what liberals tell you, there’s just no such thing...

There was a double homicide in Richmond B.C. this weekend. Both were shot. The RCMP at one point had the house surrounded and it is believed the suspect was in the residence. Was this a barricaded suspect situation? We don’t know. How did it end? We don’t know. We do know the two shooting victims were “laid out and stunned onlookers” according to a CTV News report.  Was it gang related? We don’t know. Was it a stranger shooting up a home in a residential area in suburbia? We don’t know.  Was it a domestic dispute? We don’t know.  The RCMP said there was no reason for the public to be concerned for their safety. But other than that, said precious little about what went on. We don’t even know if the suspect was in custody, although the circumstances seem to indicate that. But when asked the question by a CTV news reporter, she was referred to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Unit (IHIT). Conveniently, they didn’t respond to enquiries.  Social media was abuzz after the incident and the flimsiness of the RCMP’s released info which generated much speculation. Needless to say the speculation was not based in any known facts but it sprouted and grew as the weekend went on. Some of the speculation was the homicides may have even involved RCMP Members.  As I write this, nearly 48 hours after the RCMP received the call alerting them to the shooting, we still don’t have any details to stem the speculation no matter how wild...

More than a thousand Calgary Police Service members joined the family of Sgt. Andrew Harnett Saturday for a procession to honour the slain officer. A regimental funeral for Harnett was held Saturday afternoon and included the livestreamed procession following the service. (Calgary Herald)

I have spent the bulk of my working life in and around policing. Ordinarily, I would publicly defend the police — especially in cases of citizen journalism. I put context to what we are seeing and silence the baying hounds. (True North)