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This is just kookery from top to tail.
Thread: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.5827212/elizabeth-may-baffled-by-choice-to-preserve-bullet-holes-from-parliament-hill-shooting-1.5828796
Thread: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.5827212/elizabeth-may-baffled-by-choice-to-preserve-bullet-holes-from-parliament-hill-shooting-1.5828796
“I have a lot of questions about what really happened that day and who was really responsible.”
Really? There were multiple investigations, reviews and reports. You can Google them. What questions exactly does she have?
Here’s a list of all them.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Newsroom/Articles/2015-06-03-Summary-e.pdf
Really? There were multiple investigations, reviews and reports. You can Google them. What questions exactly does she have?
Here’s a list of all them.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Newsroom/Articles/2015-06-03-Summary-e.pdf
“And we also know that the changes that were put in place by [then-prime minister] Stephen Harper virtually immediately were to put the RCMP in charge of our security, which violates 500 years of parliamentary tradition, violates parliamentary privilege.”
Every word
is wrong.
Every word
is wrong.
The security changes were approved by the Speaker and by both Houses of Parliament in February of 2015. So, not “immediately” and not “by Stephen Harper.” May should remember, as she voted against it. The motion carried 138-82 (CPC and LPC voting in favour).
It can’t violate parliamentary privilege when parliament requested it. As for “parliamentary tradition,” other Westminster parliaments have unified security forces for good reason: Before the October 22 attack there were 4 different security forces for our parliamentary environs.
Those were OPS (sidewalks outside the grounds); RCMP (grounds outside the buildings and the gates); HoC Protective Service (half of the interior of the buildings); Senate Protective Service (other half.) The roofs were either RCMP or House or Senate, depending who was closest.
At the time, the four services didn’t routinely communicate by radio. And the RCMP hesitated before following the armed suspect into Centre Block because they were not in fact allowed to enter the building armed. There had been recommendations for a unified force since 1992.
(This is all in the reports listed above. See, e.g., https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/rcmp-security-posture-parliament-hill-october-22-2014#ta )
“The Speaker of the House, non-partisan and not in the chain of command to the government of the day, has always been in charge of security, and Harper changed it to put the RCMP, who report to the prime minister, in charge of our security.”
Again, no.
Again, no.
Parliament (not Harper) created the Parliamentary Protective Service by an act of Parliament (C-59). And it reports to the two Speakers, not the Prime Minister. The lead operations are just contracted with the RCMP, as are several provincial and municipal police services.
Some relevant history: The RCMP was product of the merger of the North-West Mounted Police and the Dominion Police, which was founded in 1868 after the assassination of D’Arcy McGee to police federal buildings—including, yes, the Parliament Buildings.
It was not until 1920 that Parliament decided it wanted its own independent security services, and the Senate and House of Commons Protective Services were founded thereafter. So not “500 years of parliamentary tradition.” More like a return to closer to the original 1868 plan.
Addendum: my favourite preserved politically-related bullet hole is this one in the door of an elevator in the Alberta Legislature.
