Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth香蕉视频直播檚 order to press on with the Surrey Police Service is akin to replacing the 香蕉视频直播渨inner with the runner-up香蕉视频直播� by overriding Surrey council香蕉视频直播檚 desire under Mayor Brenda Locke to keep the RCMP and enforcing the previous council香蕉视频直播檚 desire, under former mayor Doug McCallum, to install the SPS as the city香蕉视频直播檚 police of jurisdiction.
That香蕉视频直播檚 what Justice Kevin Loo heard Wednesday from lawyer Craig Dennis, representing the City of Surrey in its petition for a judicial review aimed at quashing Farnworth香蕉视频直播檚 July 19, 2023 order to replace the RCMP with the SPS.
The provincial government, Dennis argued, 香蕉视频直播渉as nullified the mandate to keep the RCMP delivered to council by voters.香蕉视频直播�
The five-day hearing began April 29 in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
香蕉视频直播淚n purpose and effect, it controls the electorate香蕉视频直播檚 attempt to convey meaning by significantly interfering with the vote, specifically by nullifying the electoral mandate that city council keep the RCMP in Surrey, and in the process it undermined the confidence Surrey residents can reasonably repose in their future elections. Where Canadians perceive elections to be unfair, voter apathy follows shortly thereafter,香蕉视频直播� Dennis argued.
香蕉视频直播淭he Province characterized council香蕉视频直播檚 resolutions as moves to revert to the RCMP. This ignores a fundamental point 香蕉视频直播� the SPS has never become Surrey香蕉视频直播檚 police of jurisdiction. Surrey has only ever sought to keep the RCMP as its police of jurisdiction.
香蕉视频直播淭he status quo then is the RCMP. Surrey香蕉视频直播檚 not meaning to revert to anything,香蕉视频直播� Dennis noted. 香蕉视频直播淪urrey voters delivered a mandate in the 2022 municipal election for keeping the RCMP as Surrey香蕉视频直播檚 police of jurisdiction. Access to the voting platform has already occurred. Far from seeking access to a platform, Surrey seeks to implement that mandate free from provincial interference.香蕉视频直播�
Surrey never displaced the RCMP as police of jurisdiction, he pointed out. 香蕉视频直播淎s public opinion soured to the transition the 2021 citizens香蕉视频直播� initiative first proposed a referendum being held. The 2022 election was then fought not on whether Surrey should revert to to the RCMP but whether it should keep the RCMP as its police of jurisdiction.香蕉视频直播�
This, he said, was the 香蕉视频直播渞aison d香蕉视频直播櫭猼re香蕉视频直播� of Locke香蕉视频直播檚 Surrey Connect slate and was the central issue in the city香蕉视频直播檚 2022 civic election, in which she defeated McCallum. 香蕉视频直播淭his only confirmed what should have been clear to all observers, that the election was centrally about the fate of Surrey policing and Surrey voters had spoken in favour of keeping the RCMP.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淪urrey voters delivered a mandate to keep the RCMP which is inextricable from the vote itself and the integrity of that electoral result, not the policy outcome, is what Surrey seeks to protect from provincial interference,香蕉视频直播� Dennis told Loo.
香蕉视频直播淭his is no small matter for municipal democracy,香蕉视频直播� he said, noting that election results that fail to deliver results are bound to damage public confidence.
香蕉视频直播淲hy vote if policies are not implemented? Why run for office, why participate?香蕉视频直播�
