On November 3, USJE Regional Vice-President Valda Behrens, along with a USJE Communication staff member, attended the Rural Municipalities Association (RMA) and Canoe Tradeshow on behalf of USJE. The annual RMA fall convention draws delegates from 69 municipalities and counties across Alberta, including mayors, town council members, municipal and government employees, and other stakeholders. This year’s event was held in Edmonton at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
USJE was one of 170 exhibitors at the tradeshow and used the opportunity to share key information about two USJE campaigns: Albertans for RCMP and Serving Together. Visitors to the booth were given a handout with the latest updates on keeping the RCMP in Alberta, as well as branded advocacy materials. These materials included a sticker sheet and promotional fans (a new item this year). Participants were also eligible to win an Albertans for RCMP prize item by spinning the popular USJE prize wheel. The campaign-specific prizes included bandage dispensers, phone stands, and mints.
Given that approximately 17 percent of Alberta’s total population live in rural municipalities, and the majority those communities are served by the RCMP, the RMA fall convention was an invaluable opportunity for USJE to engage with rural elected officials and staff directly. After hearing about the important work of USJE members at the RCMP, many RMA delegates expressed their gratitude to RVP Behrens for the important work USJE members do behind the scenes as the operational backbone of the RCMP.
Throughout the event, RVP Behrens had many thoughtful conversations with attendees who stopped by the booth on the concerns rural Albertans have regarding policing. The vast majority of participants expressed emphatic support for the RCMP, and for keeping the RCMP as the police service of choice in the province. This echoes recent polling data conducted on behalf of the National Police Federation which showed that 78% of Albertans living in RCMP-served communities want to retain the RCMP or retain with improvements rather than replace them. Additionally, 75% of the public would rather see funding directed toward existing police services rather than being spent on the creation of a new provincial police service. RVP Behrens brought up several times that the recent $36.9 million dollar investment into the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service by the current provincial government could have been reinvested into the RCMP and putting more uniformed officers in the rural communities that desperately need them.
Also an exhibitor at the tradeshow was the National Police Federation (NPF). Like at the Alberta Municipalities Association tradeshow in September, USJE and the NPF were able to present unified messaging while sharing the unique perspectives of non-uniformed and uniformed federal public safety personnel. RVP Behrens was also able to talk with two uniformed officers from the RCMP recruitment team who were attending the tradeshow and graciously agreed to a photograph.
For more advocacy opportunities and news around these campaigns, keep an eye on USJE social media and websites.