Opposition parties denounce government ousting of N.B.'s top RCMP officer
CBC
Two opposition parties are denouncing the Higgs government's unprecedented move to force the replacement of the top RCMP officer in the province, saying it amounts to political interference in policing.
But a top expert says while the move is the first of its kind, it's a welcome step toward greater civilian oversight of police operations.
In July, Public Safety Minister Ted Flemming used Article 7.4 of the province's policing agreement with the RCMP to ask for the immediate replacement of Assistant Commissioner Larry Tremblay of J Division.
The RCMP says Tremblay will retire from the force at the end of this month.
"It's not normal," said Liberal Leader Roger Melanson. "I don't think we've seen something like that in New Brunswick."
He said it's in keeping with Premier Blaine Higgs's pattern of pushing out top officials who disagree with his agenda.
"It's 'my way or the highway,' and if you don't agree with how we go about it, you're gone," Melanson said.
He said another example was the resignation of N.B. Liquor CEO Patrick Parent last December after just 16 months on the job. No explanation was given at the time.
Green MLA Kevin Arseneau called Flemming's decision to invoke the policing contract "extremely surprising" and said it was at odds with the minister's usual rhetoric about the justice system.
"Flemming's the one who gets up in the house all the time and says he can't interfere," he said.
But Christian Leuprecht, an expert in public safety and policing at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., says while the decision is a surprise, it may be a positive development.
"That's a pretty stunning development. I can't think of another instance in Canada when a provincial government asked for the removal of an assistant commissioner," he said.
Leuprecht said that's because the eight provinces that lack provincial police forces and use the RCMP "have not taken a particularly hands-on approach," and this could be a break from that pattern.
"We can see here that New Brunswick is trying to set a trend, that if we're going to pay for contract policing, the police force is ultimately responsible in a democracy to a civilian political authority, that being the provincial government."
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