Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth91裸聊视频檚 order to press on with the Surrey Police Service is akin to replacing the 91裸聊视频渨inner with the runner-up91裸聊视频� by overriding Surrey council91裸聊视频檚 desire under Mayor Brenda Locke to keep the RCMP and enforcing the previous council91裸聊视频檚 desire, under former mayor Doug McCallum, to install the SPS as the city91裸聊视频檚 police of jurisdiction.
That91裸聊视频檚 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 Farnworth91裸聊视频檚 July 19, 2023 order to replace the RCMP with the SPS.
The provincial government, Dennis argued, 91裸聊视频渉as nullified the mandate to keep the RCMP delivered to council by voters.91裸聊视频�
The five-day hearing began April 29 in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
91裸聊视频淚n purpose and effect, it controls the electorate91裸聊视频檚 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,91裸聊视频� Dennis argued.
91裸聊视频淭he Province characterized council91裸聊视频檚 resolutions as moves to revert to the RCMP. This ignores a fundamental point 91裸聊视频� the SPS has never become Surrey91裸聊视频檚 police of jurisdiction. Surrey has only ever sought to keep the RCMP as its police of jurisdiction.
91裸聊视频淭he status quo then is the RCMP. Surrey91裸聊视频檚 not meaning to revert to anything,91裸聊视频� Dennis noted. 91裸聊视频淪urrey voters delivered a mandate in the 2022 municipal election for keeping the RCMP as Surrey91裸聊视频檚 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.91裸聊视频�
Surrey never displaced the RCMP as police of jurisdiction, he pointed out. 91裸聊视频淎s public opinion soured to the transition the 2021 citizens91裸聊视频� 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.91裸聊视频�
This, he said, was the 91裸聊视频渞aison d91裸聊视频櫭猼re91裸聊视频� of Locke91裸聊视频檚 Surrey Connect slate and was the central issue in the city91裸聊视频檚 2022 civic election, in which she defeated McCallum. 91裸聊视频淭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.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淪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,91裸聊视频� Dennis told Loo.
91裸聊视频淭his is no small matter for municipal democracy,91裸聊视频� he said, noting that election results that fail to deliver results are bound to damage public confidence.
91裸聊视频淲hy vote if policies are not implemented? Why run for office, why participate?91裸聊视频�
