Open letter to MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay,
I am disturbed by the way RCMP contract agreements are being forced onto the municipalities by negotiators. RCMP negotiators appear to wish to enter into a business contract signed in good faith by both parties, yet at the same time to present a contract with undisclosed terms and conditions, including runaway no-cap increases.
A blank cheque in effect, is expected to be signed by the end of June for a term of 20 years. I strongly object to the difficulty and mistrust this uncertainty brings to the budget planning process for the municipality of Richmond.
The RCMP men and women officers, the majority of whom seem to be decent and able individuals, deserve much respect. They give us a great deal of security and peace of mind.
However, the ham-fisted and archaic way this contract is presented calls into question RCMP leadership in Canadian communities as role models for ethical and moral behaviour. Showing a gun-to-the-head disregard for the public, which pays RCMP salaries, and to whom the organization is committed to serve, brings the RCMP image into disrepute.
This letter is a request that the RCMP, whose review is presently being undertaken, urgently rescind and rewrite outdated contracts affecting the provinces and municipalities, and bring them more in line with modern business practices.
Masako Stillwell Richmond
