SUKH Dhaliwal, former MP and the Liberal Party candidate for the Surrey-Newton riding, noted on Thursday: “Real change is about honesty in government. The truth is that the Conservatives are not being honest with us in Surrey about new RCMP ‘boots on the ground.’”
He said the City of Surrey has again been the unwilling participant in the Conservative Government’s electioneering, using the present youth gang violence and string of murders as a backdrop to claim that they are getting tough on crime. In this pre-election period, the Conservatives have been misleading Surrey residents that they have been fulfilling the city’s request for action to address these problems.
Last week, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney issued a press release claiming that “the deployment of the first 20 members committed to Surrey is underway and that boots are already on the ground.” But on Thursday, Surrey RCMP Officer-in-Charge Bill Fordy confirmed that the number of officers deployed has not changed.
Dhaliwal said: “This is blatant electioneering by the Conservative government. We cannot afford to be used as political pawns at this time of crisis in our community”.
He added: “Last month, after many delays, it was announced that the Conservative Government has approved Surrey’s request for 100 new officers. Now the Minister has been caught deceiving us that a previous request for officers has been fulfilled, when the RCMP says it has not. We cannot trust that the government is doing nothing more than paying lip service to this issue.”
As a former MP, Dhaliwal pointed out that he has always addressed the government to get tough on crime in Surrey. He has frequently called for more RCMP officers and using the current resources in a more proactive fashion so as to divert youth away from a life of crime.
Dhailwal said: “It is shameful that the Conservatives would take advantage of the fears in our community just to make political points, but not take any action to keep us safe. I will promise to ensure that Surrey gets the attention it deserves and that we also have the resources we need to provide us with a safe environment that makes Surrey the best place to live, work, and raise our children.”
