Ted Falk, Member of Parliament for Provencher, celebrated the passage of Motion 167, introduced by Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs. Mr. Falk was a joint-seconder of M-167.
M-167 calls on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to undertake a study on rural crime in Canada. The motion calls for specific aspects of the matter to be studied including crime rates and trends, police resources, and ultimately to put forward recommendations to improve crime prevention.
Rural crime is one of the top domestic issues in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, in 2015, Canada’s crime index rose for the first time in 12 years with the highest increase in Western Canada, led by a 10% bump in rural Alberta. Manitoba has also been affected, with an increase of 4.5%.
Given these alarming statistics, rural Canadians are expressing concern about the rise in rural crime and the pervasive and increasing vacancy rates for RCMP members. Residents often feel vulnerable because of long RCMP response times – due to limited police resources – and our RCMP officers are concerned about their safety and the safety of the communities where they serve across Canada. The worsening situation leaves RCMP members suffering both physically and mentally as they work hard to close the operational gap. Meanwhile, rural Canadians worry for the safety of their families and their homes.
“Far too often I hear from constituents who have been victims of rural crime,” said Falk. “A national study is the next necessary step towards understanding the full scope of the problem of rural crime and working to find a real and tangible solution.”
“Conservatives understand the importance of keeping our families and communities safe. We are paying attention to this trend and working to address it,” Falk added. “I thank my colleague Shannon Stubbs for her leadership on this issue.”
