Alberta’s elected provincial officials are doing a poor job convincing their electorate that the elephant shape behind the curtain isn’t an elephant.
Instead of simply saying they are re-launching their unpopular plans to once again create a provincial police force — and allowing Albertans, municipalities and educated professionals to once again offer all the reasons against such a move — they are insulting the public with a poorly performed smoke and mirrors show.
With no budget and no timeline, provincial leaders have introduced — tah-dah — new legislation to create a new police force.
Even though it’s “new” and is not intended to replace the existing RCMP coverage in cities and rural communities across the province, says Alberta’s Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis, it sure sounds like something this government tried to introduce two years ago to replace the RCMP. Back then, Albertans said no.
This time around, Ellis is tying the plan to Alberta Sheriffs, saying the branch of enforcement need more legislative oversight as their roles expand from court and transportation services to partnerships with other police forces.
But it’s not a plan to replace the Mounties, he stresses, nor a way to take more provincial control — and more municipal funding for policing — from Alberta communities.
So what is it?
Like the elephant behind the curtain, many feel this is misdirection, sleight of hand.
If legislation is pushed through for this “new” version of the very unpopular — and already rejected — provincial police plan, will it pave the way to force through other unpopular plans … the Alberta Pension Plan for instance?
When it comes to smoke and mirrors and political will, it seems the stage is set — but if Albertans realize they were already fooled once, when the curtain is pulled away this time, it may only expose a magician running out of tricks.
