A
disaster, natural or human caused (this one may be both if the climate change folks
have it right), can bring out the best in people. We’ve all watched with
amazement and vicarious pride as the human spirit has soared above the surging
flood waters in Southern Alberta. People have opened their homes to strangers,
donated millions of dollars to disaster relief efforts, and joined “roving
bands of volunteers” (Laureen Harper’s words) assisting in the clean-up. But, the truth is, a tragedy stirs up
whatever’s there, and some of it can be ugly.
In
High River, a town of about 13,000 residents, 40 minutes south of Calgary,
tensions are running high as they enter their second week of evacuation. During
this period RCMP officers have been going through the town checking on
residences. They’ve been looking for victims and ensuring homes are safe and
secure, but also gathering up unsecured firearms. People are grateful for the
efforts of the RCMP, and many are relieved to know their guns are in a safe
place, but some have been upset about the “seizing” of their property. – Unfortunately
“seize” is the word the RCMP used initially in reference to their actions. It
may be the correct legal term but “removal
for safe keeping” might have caused less anxiety.
While
I understand the action of the police in this situation, I also appreciate the
residents concerns. The battle over the Long Gun Registry has caused many gun
owners to feel at odds with the police, and police forces everywhere, including
Canada, have a history of exceeding their mandates in “emergency” situations.
The G-20 a few years back produced many instances of abuse of police authority.
And there is evidence that, in the October Crisis of 1970, police abused their powers detaining, without cause, prominent
artists and intellectuals associated with the sovereignty movement.
Police forces have lots of things they’d
like to do that the law prevents them from doing. When the opportunity arises,
it must be hard to resist doing them. This is why we have laws that even the
police must obey, and it’s why people are nervous about the cops in situations
like this.
All this being said, however, it seems
to me that the Prime Minister’s Office could have been more conciliatory in responding
to complaints from constituents in High River. In issuing the statement, “We
expect that any firearms taken will be returned to their owners as soon as
possible.” they said all they really needed to say. But then they added, “We
believe the RCMP should focus on more important tasks such as protecting lives
and private property,” Surely the securing of unsecured firearms is just that,
an attempt protect lives and private property.
If the RCMP have exceeded their mandate
by searching homes unreasonably, seizing property inappropriately, or harassing
law abiding gun owners, there will be plenty of time to sort that out. In the
mean time the PMO should be encouraging distraught citizens to have confidence
in law enforcement agencies, and to appreciate for the difficult work they are
called to do.
The PMO is showing signs of hyper-partisanship
and paranoia in recent weeks. As Liberal MP, Marc Garneau, commented few days ago, “They seem to be in
considerable need of adult supervision.”
It’s been a tough couple of months for
the Prime Minister’s Office, but I do hope they can pull things together over
the summer. We sure don’t need two more years of this sort of nonsense.
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