The Durham Regional Police Association is adding to the growing number of people and organizations calling for an election and for the prime minister to step down.
The GTA police union joined the Toronto Police Association, the largest police union in Canada, in calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign.
The Toronto police union released a statement on Tuesday calling for Trudeau’s resignation and criticizing a recently announced crime plan as “laughable.” The Toronto Police Association responded to a social media post by Liberal cabinet minister Anita Anand, who shared a list of the government’s proposals to fix issues in Canada’s criminal justice system.
She said the Liberal government is proposing amendments to the Criminal Code to ensure repeat, violent offenders “are held accountable,” to add stricter bail conditions for violent crimes and to grant the Canada Border Services Agency “further authority” to inspect goods set for export.
The Toronto Police Association’s post, which the Durham police union said it “echoed,” criticized this move, saying the union has lost all faith in the government to fix the problems that it created.
Notably, the government relaxed bail conditions with Bill C-75, which emphasized “restraint” for courts and police imposing bail conditions in an attempt to reduce the “overrepresentation of vulnerable populations.”
“Empty promises and platitudes have very little meaning and continue to be disingenuous to our members and the members of the general public,” the Durham Regional Police Association said in a post on X Wednesday. “Violent crimes, gun offences and the lack of actual bail reform do nothing but endanger the public, officers and society as a whole.”
“It’s time we elect a Government that will follow through with much-needed change instead of empty promises.”
The Durham Regional Police Association also criticized the government’s decision to add to Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s duties by naming him finance minister as well. The portfolio was added to LeBlanc’s plate Monday following Chrystia Freeland’s abrupt resignation from cabinet just hours before she was set to deliver the government’s Fall Economic Statement.
“Adding portfolios to the Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc takes away their ability to focus on their preexisting agendas,” the Durham police association said in a post.
Abacus poll data from a survey conducted Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning, when Freeland resigned, found that 58% of Canadians want an immediate election. And 67% of Canadians agree with the two police unions and think that Trudeau should resign.