Hacker News Reader

Comment by cmrdporcupine | Hacker News Reader

Thing is, the federal government does not have the power to "ask the police" to do anything. That's obviously by design and part of the demarcation of powers we expect from a democracy. The accusations of authoritarianism would have been just as drastic (I think?) if the PM had stood up and tried to call the RCMP or Ottawa police / OPP to task for their inaction and so on.

Sibling commenter is right: the police should be the ones under the microscope, for failing the citizenry. Questions should be asked about to what degree their membership was compromised by allegiance to or involvement with the convoy and its cause.

View on HN

> Thing is, the federal government does not have the power to "ask the police" to do anything.

Wut?

The RCMP reports to Parliament up through the Public Safety minister. The bucks stops with the PM.

The federal government has not only the right but the obligation to hold the RCMP accountable.

But that's not what I was arguing? Holding accountable is not the same as telling them what to do in terms of enforcement action.

This was actually discussed as a specific controversy at the time the convoy was undergoing. Trudeau getting on the phone with chief of police and asking him to clear the protest would be a serious breach of political standards in our democracy.

Also the police in question here are the Ottawa Police Service, not the RCMP, I believe.

Your phrasing is "do not have the power". Trudeau most certainly does have the power.

And I'd disagree about breeching political standards. The police are an executive function and report to the PM. I'd like to think Canadians know that.

Where can I educate myself on the issue? The differing narratives have left me puzzled.

The police are NOT an executive function and do not report to the PM.

The Ottawa police, report to the city of Ottawa. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Police_Service)

The Ontario police, report to the Province of Ontario (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Provincial_Police)

The RCMP, reports of the Country of Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police). And the RCMP is "a police service for the whole of Canada to be used in the enforcement of the laws of the Dominion, but at the same time available for the enforcement of law generally in such provinces as may desire to employ its services."

The most important part is the RCMP enforcement in provinces is at the DESIRE of the provinces, in this case The Ontario Provincial Government.

Some Canadians may know the above.

Please read your own links!

RCMP

Minister responsible Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety

How a Canadian doesn’t know the structure of their federal government is beyond me.

The local police do not report to the PM. It is that simple.

Your local cops don't report to the president.

The RCMP don't have jurisdiction in Ottawa. You said it yourself, it's the federal government and it's not the same as the municipal government.

Additionally regardless of formal "powers", no legitimate leader in any democratic govt wants to be seen "giving orders" to police forces -- that's entirely outside of democratic norms.

The federal govt sets standards and expectations and framework for the RCMP. It should not, and does not (hopefully), tell them what to do on specific case files.

RCMP in Ottawa would enforce federal laws not provincial. Seems to me you are talking about OPP responsibilities.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com