REGINA - A motion has carried at the Legislature opposing closure of the RCMP training Depot in Regina.
The motion, calling for the Legislature to oppose any plan for changes that involves the closure of RCMP depot and the loss of 500 jobs, was moved by Opposition Leader Carla Beck and was carried unanimously with no debate.
The motion was in response to last week’s Mass Casualty Commission recommendations into the mass shooting deaths of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. One of their recommendations was closure of Depot and replacement with a three-year program elsewhere in Canada.
In speaking Monday to reporters, Beck, MLA for Regina Lakeview, explained the rationale for her motion.
“I thought it was important that we lend our voices as members of this Assembly to our support for both many of the recommendations in the report in terms of a more robust, more effective training for cadets at Depot, but also that we very strongly stated that we think that Regina should be a part of that solution, and that that training could and should happen here in the Queen City.”
Other Regina elected officials including Regina’s three federal Conservative MPs have voiced opposition to the closure of Depot. Beck agrees it was important for local political leaders to speak with one voice on the issue.
“I think there is a real opportunity here, regardless of political stripe for elected leaders in Saskatchewan, and in Regina in particular, to stand up for having those training seats here in Regina.”
She stressed that she accepted the recommendations in the report and takes the concerns seriously, but “again, I think there’s a way to incorporate these findings into a path that sees Depot continue in an improved way right here in Regina.”
In speaking to reporters Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Christine Tell said the government, too, supported the motion opposing the closure of Depot.
“Absolutely, we don’t want to see the Depot closed here in Regina,” said Tell, who is MLA for Regina Wascana Plains. She was open to seeing improvements to training happen, as long as it happens in Regina.
“The RCMP are going to have to be trained. Training will continue whatever form that looks like, and so why not continue using a training facility that’s already here in Regina, has history and has been here for a long time.”
Regarding the report, Tell acknowledged "there were a lot of recommendations in there. I'm not sure all of them were necessary, but one that I did not think was necessary was dismantling Depot and moving the training to other parts of Canada."
Tell also said of the report's suggestion that training be spread out across the country that it "doesn’t make a lot of sense."
Like Beck, Tell pointed to synergies with educational institutions already in Regina including the University of Regina and the First Nations University of Canada, and others. “The recommendation to disband RCMP Depot seemed a little bit harsh," said Tell.
As for the province's opposition to the closure of Depot, the indication from Tell is the province will reach out to their federal counterparts "and make sure that message gets through to them for sure."
