On November 18, USJE Regional Vice President Valda Behrens and a member of the USJE Communications team attended the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) trade show. The event, part of RMA’s fall convention, welcomed over 800 delegates from 69 counties and municipalities across Alberta, the highest attendance for the event since RMA started in 1909. Delegates include town councilors, mayors, reeves, ministers, municipal staff, and other stakeholders.
USJE was one of 170+ organizations exhibiting at the trade show, sharing important and timely information about the Albertans for RCMP and Serving Together campaigns. USJE’s booth featured branded banners and an eye-catching—and popular—prize wheel for delegates to spin and win a prize.
Convention participants who visited the USJE booth were responsive and thoughtful in asking questions and sharing comments. They showed sincere interest in talking about what a transition away from the RCMP might look like and concerns around the budget impacts. This proved to be a great opportunity for RVP Behrens to highlight USJE’s contributions to public safety in Alberta given the presence of Detachment Service Assistants at nearly all 114 detachments plus divisional locations. Behrens also noted that, to date, the Danielle Smith government has presented no details as to what a transition might look like.
Delegates were also interested in talking about staffing concerns, at which time USJE representatives were able to highlight Prime Minister Carney’s commitment to hiring an additional one thousand RCMP Officers, some of whom would be specifically deployed to Alberta. This expansion of sworn Police Officers is an essential step in strengthening public safety and meeting the complex and evolving needs of rural municipalities and communities in Alberta. While visiting the table, delegates were eligible to win prizes including USJE bandage dispensers, mints, and a phone stand. The bandage dispensers in particular were a hit with attendees, as well as an Albertans for RCMP sticker sheet.
A key campaign item distributed at the booth was the USJE handout on the role of USJE’s members within the RCMP in the province. The handout dispels common misconceptions and provides clear facts on the issue of replacing the RCMP with a provincial police force in Alberta.
In talking with RMA delegates, the vast majority spoke clearly about their support for the RCMP and desire to keep the RCMP as the best choice for most municipalities in Alberta. This is reinforced y by polling recently conducted by the National Police Federation which revealed that 76 percent of Albertans in RCMP-served areas are satisfied with their policing, and 71 percent believe that the public has not been properly consulted about replacing the RCMP.
Similar to the Alberta Municipalities trade show in Calgary the week prior, the National Police Federation (NPF) also had a booth at the RMA trade show. This allowed USJE and NPF to provide delegates with unified messaging on the importance of keeping the RCMP in Alberta from the perspective of both uniformed members and non-uniformed federal public safety personnel.
While some delegates were unaware of the essential work of USJE members at the RCMP, all expressed appreciation after learning about the crucial roles done by our members at RCMP Detachments throughout Alberta and at the K Division Regional Headquarters in Edmonton.
As Alberta rural municipalities are home to approximately 17 percent of Alberta’s population and the majority of communities that have contracts with the RCMP, the RMA trade show was a valuable opportunity to talk directly with rural elected officials and staff. Keep an eye on USJE social media and websites for more engagement opportunities on this issue in future.