The Hook

Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore said it's "not quite true" that British Columbia this summer proposed changes to the RCMP contract that's under negotiation.

"We are more than willing to look at any proposals the province puts forward," said Moore, the senior federal minister in B.C.. "If the province has specific amendments they would like to see for the next 20-year period, as I said we're willing to look at those proposals."

B.C.'s Solicitor General Shirley Bond told reporters earlier this week that the federal government has failed to respond to proposals the province put forward in July. "During the course of the summer we sent a proposal to the federal government and asked a number of things," she said Sept. 27.

The province asked for an extension of the discussion and to have the negotiating teams meet again. They also suggested changes to what was included in the draft contract, she said, but got an ultimatum in response. "We sent an alternative proposal to the federal government's proposal and ultimately in the course of the summer received a letter saying the deadline for signing the federal proposal is November."

B.C. would like to have more management tools included in the contract so it can have a greater influence on controlling costs, but the federal government has been unwilling to discuss the issue, she said. "We have no ability to have that discussion today."

Asked about Bond's comments, Moore said, "That's not quite true. We're looking at proposals to see if we can satisfy they're concerns . . . We're open to looking at those proposals when they write them down and when they present them to us."

The federal government spends $800 million on the RCMP and also wants to make sure the force is run efficiently, he said.

Moore bristled when asked about the federal government's "ultimatum" to the province, a word Bond had used to describe the situation.

"There's no ultimatum," he said. "What there is is a timeline. We're forcing all parties to come to clarity on what their positions are so we can all move forward."

There are some 6,000 RCMP officers in B.C., with a provincial contribution of $300 million and municipalities paying $500 million. Bond said the federal government has threatened to begin withdrawing officers from B.C. in 2014 unless the province signs the contract by the end of November.

Moore stressed that after four years of negotiations the parties agree on much, including the 20-year term for the contract, the fuding formula, the dollar amount and that "in principle the RCMP needs checks and balances."

While Moore was talking with reporters, delegates to the UBCM convention passed an emergency resolution "that UBCM request that the Government of Canada, in the spirit of partnership and collaboration, return to the table with the Government of British Columbia and the remaining provinces and territories to negotiate the settlement of a new RCMP contract that addresses the outstanding issues of a new partnership, cost containment and accountability."

Moore was also asked about the supreme court's unanimous ruling that the federal government could not force the closure of the Insite safe injection site. Moore said he'd only seen the headlines and couldn't comment other than to say the federal government will consider the ruling.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.