Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was “proud” of an endorsement by an Ontario police union.
The Peel Regional Police Association announced on Wednesday that it was endorsing Poilievre and the local Conservative candidate Sue McFadden in the ongoing federal election. The group cited the federal Conservatives pledging to improve public safety and ending criminal catch and release policies.
“The Peel Regional Police Association is proud to announce our endorsement of Sue McFadden, along with Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada in this federal election,” the endorsement letter shared by Poilievre said. “Our police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, uphold the law, and ensure the safety of all Ontarians.”
The police union said that its members need legislative support and equipment to protect the public, something they are lacking with the current Liberal government.
“Sue McFadden, Pierre Poilievre and their Conservative team understand these needs and are committed to ensuring law enforcement officers have what they require to serve the Peel Region and Canadians effectively,” Adrian Woolley, the president of the union, said. “Pierre Poilievre has pledged to support law enforcement by strengthening laws to hold criminals accountable and ensuring that officers are not wasting time catching the same offenders time and time again.”
The endorsement continued by saying that Poilievre’s goals align with the needs of the policing community.
“His commitment to public safety aligns with the needs of police officers across the country, ensuring we can protect our communities without unnecessary political interference or policy constraints that hinder our ability to act,” Woolley continued in the letter. “We believe that Pierre Poilievre is the leader best equipped to support the men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting Canadians.”
Several other professional and trades unions, including the Boilermakers Union and the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada, endorsed Poilievre last week.
This comes after the Toronto Police Association announced it sent both Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Poilievre a letter asking for their positions on key issues that impact the policing community.
The group asked the two what they plan to do to stop the release of repeat offenders, if they would end the handgun ban and gun buyback program and redirect resources to policing agencies to address cross-border gun smuggling. Conservatives have pledged to implement both policies.
The group also asked for legislation which would attribute a “high risk” category to individuals convicted of certain crimes such as murdering a police officer, who are seeking parole.
They are also asking for victims to be granted party status at parole hearings, refusing paper reviews when victims do not consent, and limiting access to last-minute adjournments where victims have travelled from out of province to attend.
The Toronto Police Association’s final ask of the two leaders was to ensure that the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario are “adequately supported” with “appropriate police funding and resources” to police the community, including at nation events.
“Staffing at the Toronto Police Service is at a critical level. While the population of Toronto has grown exponentially in the last decade, the number of police officers has gone down,” the union said. “Toronto has one police officer for every 171 residents, less than the national average despite being the largest city in the country. Our Communications Centre is at a crisis point, too. Staff shortages mean the public is waiting up to 12 minutes on hold when they call 911.”
Though not an endorsement, the Durham Regional Police Association condemned Carney for defending former Liberal candidate and ex-police officer Paul Chiang as a candidate after he suggested to an audience that they could kidnap a conservative candidate and hand him over to Chinese officials for a reward.
“Although Mr. Chiang decided on his own to drop out of the race, DRPA is disappointed in the clear lack of integrity and leadership displayed by Mark Carney to stand by this candidate rather than act after such egregious actions,” the union said in a post. “These are actions an active Officer would be held to a higher standard for in Ontario.”
The Durham police group blasted Carney for using Chiang’s policing career “as a shield” for his statements saying that it “undermines the great work our heroes in uniform do in their communities each and every day.”