The NDP government signed off on the Surrey police transition project and therefore, they must also be transparent and accountable to those in the community who now have questions. Unfortunately, many of the Surrey residents who have been asking legitimate questions of their government have said that they have not received adequate answers from the NDP government.

By Stephanie Cadieux, MLA Surrey South and 

Tracy Redies, MLA Surrey-White Rock

I can’t think of a time that I’ve received more correspondence on an issue than I have regarding the Surrey Police transition. The correspondence my office has received from my constituents weighs heavily to one side of the issue.   

I don’t want to comment on the merits of a municipal force over the RCMP or vice versa. I do want to say thank you to the men and women in uniform that keep us safe and contribute so much to our community. I respect that this is by statute, a municipal decision to move forward.

However, it is important to remember that it was the NDP government that signed off on the project and therefore, they must also be transparent and accountable to those in the community who now have questions. Unfortunately, many of the Surrey residents who have been asking legitimate questions of their government have said that they have not received adequate answers from the NDP government.

And no matter which version of the proposed transition budget you favour, one thing is certain — it’s going to be a costly exercise. Not only for the city but for the province, too.  And we need transparency from the NDP on what that will look like.

For the province, there are lingering questions about the costs and ability to train 800 new officers through the Justice Institute of British Columbia, the impacts on joint task forces, the impacts on other municipalities with RCMP contracts and provincial emergency planning.

COVID-19 has thrown government budgets at all levels into shambles and whichever way you slice it, these budgets will be funded primarily through you, the taxpayer.

Government budgets are already stretched and there is no certainty on the pace at which our economy might return to pre-COVID strength. The only prudent action right now would be to call for complete transparency from the NDP on their plans to support this transition and what this means for the people of Surrey. 

This will include taking a deeper look at the costs and the process, as well as creating a plan that can be presented to the citizenry when the city and provincial budgets have stabilized. 

Transparency matters — especially on issues of this scale. The NDP decided to approve this project, and they cannot decide to hide from their decision simply because its popularity is now waning. They need to be held accountable for their decisions and provide residents with genuine answers to their questions.  

After all, it is us, the citizens, who will be forced to pay for it.