View From the Legislature

On Tuesday March 29th I was at RCMP “D” Division in Winnipeg, the Manitoba RCMP Headquarters, as they displayed the result of a multi-year, international investigation. The investigation, which involved law enforcement in Manitoba, the United States and as far away as Columbia and Greece, was dubbed Project Divergent and resulted in the largest drug seizure in the history of the Manitoba RCMP.

More than $70 million of street valued drugs were seized in this operation. RCMP indicate that the drugs were destined for distribution around Canada. In all, officers seized cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and ecstasy in addition to 14 handguns, five assault-style rifles and nearly half a million dollars in cash. Not only was this the largest drug seizure in Manitoba RCMP history, it was nearly twice the next largest.

The impact of this massive seizure of drugs is significant but it also speaks to the challenge that law enforcement faces in trying to disrupt the flow of illegal drugs. This operation was successful because of the early work of criminal intelligence and information sharing between law enforcement entities. At the press conference on Operation Divergent, the RCMP made special effort to single out the contribution of the Winkler Police in helping make this operation such a success. It demonstrates the importance of different law enforcement agencies in Manitoba working together and sharing information.

The importance of this has been highlighted in recent proposed amendments to the Police Services Act in Manitoba that will help establish the Manitoba Criminal Intelligence Centre and make sharing information between provincial police services easier. While Manitoba is served by the RCMP, various municipal police forces and First Nations policing, they are all engaged in helping keep Manitobans safe regardless of the area that they police. And those who traffic in drugs or commit other illegal acts, do not contain their activities to borders or policing jurisdictions. The ability to enhance the gathering and sharing of information will continue to be an important part of law enforcement efforts in Manitoba.

I want to especially congratulate “D” Division Commanding Officer Jane MacLatchy and Inspector Grant Stephen for their leadership on Project Divergent and helping to get these illicit drugs off of the streets and out of our communities. And of course, there are countless number of other law enforcement officers locally and in other parts of the world who helped contribute to the seizure of these drugs and weapons.

Late last week, Commanding Officer MacLatchy also officially advised that she will be retiring from the RCMP, after 34 years of service. She announced that her last day as Commanding Officer will be on June 3. This starts the process of seeking a new Commanding Officer for the Winnipeg RCMP Headquarters. I would like to thank Commanding Officer MacLatchy for her service to Canadians generally and for her service recently to Manitobans specifically. We wish her well as she transitions to a new chapter of her life.