Media Statement: NPF Responds to Alberta 2023 Budget

EDMONTON, AB, March 1, 2023 /CNW/ - Following is a statement from Brian Sauvé, President, National Police Federation, following the release of the Government of Alberta's 2023 Budget:

"Yesterday, Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews tabled the Government of Alberta's 2023 pre-electoral Budget, which contains a host of investments across the province that primarily support the education sector and healthcare workers.

The National Police Federation welcomes the kinds of investments that contribute to Alberta's economic strength and make it a great and healthy place to live and work, and this budget also features important investments to support public safety, including $65 million over three years to strengthen First Nations policing and an investment of $30 million in Alberta's Crown Prosecution Services to maintain and attract staffing.

Although this budget includes a 13% increase in much-needed public safety investments that the NPF recommended in our pre-Budget submission, we were surprised to learn that $27 million will go to hire over 200 Alberta Sheriffs, who are neither trained nor equipped to respond to violent crime that government figures indicate is on the rise.

We believe that choosing to invest in non-priority areas like this instead of into much-needed RCMP officers who are highly trained to respond to these types of complex and high-risk calls, not only ignores Albertans' calls for meaningful action to reduce violent crime – especially in rural areas – but also risks worsening the issue over time.

Across Alberta, RCMP Members have continued to fill gaps left by diminishing social services, RCMP detachments remain underfunded by the Province, and our Members are consistently told to do more with less when they are already overworked, stressed, and not fully resourced. 

Despite Minister Toews' post-Budget admission that the creation of a new provincial police services is 'off the table...it's not been budgeted in this plan,' we will continue to impress upon Albertans and the Alberta Government the importance of keeping the RCMP in Alberta and investing in the RCMP to improve public safety for Albertans and their communities."

About the National Police Federation:

The National Police Federation (NPF) represents ~20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and internationally. It is the largest police labour relations organization in Canada and second largest in North America. We are focused on improving public safety in Canada for our Members and all Canadians by advocating for investment in policing and other related supports and services. This includes calling for required resourcing, equipment, and supports to enhance community safety and livability in the communities we serve, large and small, across Canada.

For more information: https://npf-fpn.com/ and KeepAlbertaRCMP.ca

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SOURCE National Police Federation

Media contacts: Fabrice de Dongo, Manager, Media Relations, [email protected], [phone]; Sarah Kavanagh, Coordinator, Media Relations, [email protected], [phone]