11-20-2008

PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS

ONTARIO POLICE ASSOCIATION

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: It's a pleasure to rise today to speak in support of Ontario's police officers and all the law enforcement people on the front lines. They work hard and put themselves in danger in order to keep us safe, or as safe as they possibly can with their numbers.

This week, you will remember that the Ontario police association was at Queen's Park to speak to the members. I had the privilege of being visited by five officers from the Oxford Community Police to talk about what was needed and what could be done to improve the law enforcement in our community and, conversely, across the province. I want to thank them for coming here and helping us to understand the needs out there on the front lines.

I want to speak to this resolution and I want to tell the member from Thunder Bay-Atikokan that, in fact, I will be supporting the resolution. I think anyone who looks at it realistically and says, "What is it that we can do to make our streets safer, to make our communities safer?"-it is to increase the ability to enforce the laws and to curtail crime in the community. The issue isn't so much about who's paying, but the fact that we're able to provide the services for our constituents. So I support the resolution that we need to do all we can to increase the number of police officers that protect us.

I'm a little concerned as to the implications of the ongoing funding, that that's part of the-I'm not suggesting that that isn't what needs to happen, but I don't think that's the biggest issue today. One of the examples I want to use, and I think it so happens, particularly with the present government-we heard it just last week or the week before when the provincial municipal review came out, and they said they're going to fix the problem. One of the things that needs to go back up to the provincial government from local government is court security. That would increase the number of dollars available for front-line policing in our communities to quite a great extent.

We're talking here about long-term funding as opposed to solving the immediate problem. The federal government said, "We're going to put some money in to help with the cost of policing, to get people out in the street to protect us." The provincial government says, "We think long term is much better. We're going to help that front-line service starting in 2012, and not pay for that court security until 2018. Then we'll finally be able to use that money and let the municipalities have the ability to hire more police officers-or not even hire more police officers; the police officers who are presently responsible for court security will then be allowed to go into the front line to help protect our community." It seemed to me that it's much more important to deal with the immediate problem, and then start working on making sure we have continued funding to keep it going.
My leader spoke to the police association when it was here at Queen's Park. Relating to the comments I just made, I just wanted to put on the record some of the comments that he made to the police association. I think it's so important that-and I don't want to read the whole speech, obviously. It's longer than the time that I have. I just wanted to go into the part about the continued funding.

He's speaking to the police association: "I know you continue to have some concerns about the federal funding of additional police officers for Ontario over the next five years. I understand this concern, but I also understand any government wanting to be responsible when it comes to the length and breadth of the promises they make.

"Let me say two things. First, I want to commend the fact that Mr. Harper and his government have made a commitment to fund additional police resources, and a significant quantity of money has actually been made available to do just that." We're talking about a new venture. Up until now, policing has been the responsibility of the provincial government and the municipal government. This is the first venture into the federal government funding local police services.

"I believe the Ontario government is deliberately"-and the next is an unparliamentary word; it works fine in our society, but we're not allowed to say it here. It's leaving an impression different than the one that they're actually saying-"the public when they posture and say they never expected to have to bear a share of the total cost. Mr. McGuinty and his government understood the criteria and signed on the dotted line when they took the money." And again, we're talking about what this money was supposed to do. The government is telling us now that in fact, "Well, no. We didn't really understand that. We thought maybe the federal government was going to put money up and then fund policing from here on in, that percentage of the total cost." The provincial government knew exactly what they were getting.

"Second, I will make this commitment to you as leader of this party and as Premier in three years ... I will fight for more." I think that's the critical part: "I will fight for more." We will fight for more. I think that's the message I just wanted to leave to the member in this debate, that getting the money in the first place is the important part today, fighting for more. Make sure we get that discussion over with, and the funding will carry on after that fact. Many times-in fact, I think at all times, all funding on projects like this-the funding is put out when the project is started, but it's very seldom put on that we will never change this program; it will never stop. As the member mentioned in his opening remarks, the provincial government did that when we were government. We put the program in place for a period of time. It's working well. We realize that to keep it working, which we all want, we put in more funding.

I think we collectively in this House, members on all sides, need to work to make sure that when these police officers are put on the front line and the time comes that they need to be funded further than what the program presently is, we are there to get that funding so that services will continue on. I don't see that they should announce that it will be carte blanche forever, but I do believe we all need to work together to make sure that we have this money to provide front-line services through our police departments to protect our public.

I would like to thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to this.