Federal Police Officers Recruitment Fund (November 22)
Mr. MacDonald: Thank you. Three years ago the Solicitor General received over $42 million from the federal government to recruit much-needed police officers across the province under the police officers recruitment fund.
My first question is to the Solicitor General. Can the minister please provide this House with an update on where and how much of the $42 million has been used in the last three years under the police officers recruitment fund?
Thank you.
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mr. Denis: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As this member is probably well aware, since 2008 we have provided 108 new police officers here in Edmonton, 123 in Calgary. We will continue to support law enforcement in this province as part of our safe communities initiative, that the Premier started herself when she was Minister of Justice.
Mr. MacDonald: Again to the Solicitor General – and I’m talking specifically about the $42 million that was provided by the federal government to hire new police officers across the province – why has $30 million of the $42 million of this money not been used when Alberta continues to have the second-lowest ratio of police officers to citizens in the entire country? You, sir, are not doing your job.
Mr. Denis: Mr. Speaker, I take umbrage with that member’s comments. This is conduct unbecoming a member here.
This member knows our safe communities initiative has consis-tently reduced the crime rate in Alberta, and that is something that we can be proud of.
The Speaker: The hon. member.
Mr. MacDonald: Thank you. I would request, first, that this minister read his own annual report, and he would see where this money has been left on the table. Given that the city of Edmonton, unfortunately, has a very high homicide rate, why is this federal money being left on the table instead of being used to support our hard-working police officers across this province?
Thank you.
Mr. Denis: Mr. Speaker, I’ve read this report, and I would suggest that this member opposite get a dictionary so that he can read it himself as well. The crime rate is going down. Our safe communities initiative is supporting this entire province’s police officers. This is something that we can be proud of, and we can stop this partisan rhetoric.
Alberta Hansard, November 22, 2011