Public Safety Minister Mike FarnworthB次元官网网址檚 order to press on with the Surrey Police Service is akin to replacing the B次元官网网址渨inner with the runner-upB次元官网网址� by overriding Surrey councilB次元官网网址檚 desire under Mayor Brenda Locke to keep the RCMP and enforcing the previous councilB次元官网网址檚 desire, under former mayor Doug McCallum, to install the SPS as the cityB次元官网网址檚 police of jurisdiction.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 what Justice Kevin Loo heard Wednesday from lawyer Craig Dennis, representing the City of Surrey in its petition for a judicial review aimed at quashing FarnworthB次元官网网址檚 July 19, 2023 order to replace the RCMP with the SPS.
The provincial government, Dennis argued, B次元官网网址渉as nullified the mandate to keep the RCMP delivered to council by voters.B次元官网网址�
The five-day hearing began April 29 in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
B次元官网网址淚n purpose and effect, it controls the electorateB次元官网网址檚 attempt to convey meaning by significantly interfering with the vote, specifically by nullifying the electoral mandate that city council keep the RCMP in Surrey, and in the process it undermined the confidence Surrey residents can reasonably repose in their future elections. Where Canadians perceive elections to be unfair, voter apathy follows shortly thereafter,B次元官网网址� Dennis argued.
B次元官网网址淭he Province characterized councilB次元官网网址檚 resolutions as moves to revert to the RCMP. This ignores a fundamental point B次元官网网址� the SPS has never become SurreyB次元官网网址檚 police of jurisdiction. Surrey has only ever sought to keep the RCMP as its police of jurisdiction.
B次元官网网址淭he status quo then is the RCMP. SurreyB次元官网网址檚 not meaning to revert to anything,B次元官网网址� Dennis noted. B次元官网网址淪urrey voters delivered a mandate in the 2022 municipal election for keeping the RCMP as SurreyB次元官网网址檚 police of jurisdiction. Access to the voting platform has already occurred. Far from seeking access to a platform, Surrey seeks to implement that mandate free from provincial interference.B次元官网网址�
Surrey never displaced the RCMP as police of jurisdiction, he pointed out. B次元官网网址淎s public opinion soured to the transition the 2021 citizensB次元官网网址� initiative first proposed a referendum being held. The 2022 election was then fought not on whether Surrey should revert to to the RCMP but whether it should keep the RCMP as its police of jurisdiction.B次元官网网址�
This, he said, was the B次元官网网址渞aison dB次元官网网址櫭猼reB次元官网网址� of LockeB次元官网网址檚 Surrey Connect slate and was the central issue in the cityB次元官网网址檚 2022 civic election, in which she defeated McCallum. B次元官网网址淭his only confirmed what should have been clear to all observers, that the election was centrally about the fate of Surrey policing and Surrey voters had spoken in favour of keeping the RCMP.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淪urrey voters delivered a mandate to keep the RCMP which is inextricable from the vote itself and the integrity of that electoral result, not the policy outcome, is what Surrey seeks to protect from provincial interference,B次元官网网址� Dennis told Loo.
B次元官网网址淭his is no small matter for municipal democracy,B次元官网网址� he said, noting that election results that fail to deliver results are bound to damage public confidence.
B次元官网网址淲hy vote if policies are not implemented? Why run for office, why participate?B次元官网网址�
