With the 2023 provincial election expected to officially get underway today with the dropping of the writ, the list of campaign issues of interest to Albertans is already extensive.
Those issues include health-care funding and access, education planning, taxation, and infrastructure development and support, including in rural communities.
Another issue that has been around for several years and continues to interest communities large and small is the possible creation of a provincial police service to replace the RCMP.
During a press conference last week, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis said the UCP “hasn’t made any decision about the Alberta police service. Alberta’s government still believes it is prudent to weigh all its public safety options.”
The NDP has said time and again that should it form the next government, it would not move forward with the creation of a provincial police service, sticking instead with the RCMP.
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta, which represents 69 municipalities, including Mountain View and Red Deer counties, says it recently conducted a survey showing the majority of respondents were not in favour of creating a provincial force.
“The RMA and its members support the work of the RCMP to address rural crime and don’t see any need for a fundamental change to how policing is addressed,” said RMA president Paul McLauchlin.
“The results of this survey show that individual rural Albertans share the similar view.”
With the UCP continuing to “weigh all its public safety options," as Minister Ellis said last week, it does not appear at this time that the party is to be prepared to directly and publicly commit itself to the creation of a provincial force.
As such, any suggestion by a re-elected UCP government that it has a public mandate to move forward with the creation of a provincial police force would be unacceptable.
The majority of Albertans may support the creation of a provincial police force – but that can only be definitively determined by a post-election, provincewide referendum.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
