"The prime minister wants already overburdened police officers to respond to controversies over vaccine passports in restaurants, movie theaters and at sporting events."
OTTAWA, OH, August 29, 2021 - According to Brian Sauve, President of the National Police Federation, the police have neither the time nor the resources to enforce a mandatory vaccine passport.
British Columbia Prime Minister John Horgan has encouraged restaurants and other establishments to resolve conflicts over British Columbia's vaccine confirmation demand as well as any other out-of-control conflicts.
"If they have problems with visitors, they call law enforcement, and this is what I expect to happen with the vaccination card," the prime minister said.
In response to comments from the British Columbia Prime Minister about the enforcement of vaccination passports by RCMP members, South said, “The National Police Federation is concerned about the recent announcement by Prime Minister Horgan that businesses with vaccine passport-related customer difficulties should call the police to enforce the law.
While our employees will, as always, respond professionally to the needs of businesses and individuals requiring police support, they have to do more and more without additional resources or funding.
This summer alone, more than 650 RCMP British Columbia personnel were deployed to clean up the aftermath of wildfires away from their communities and day-to-day responsibilities; more staff, including highly specialized teams, were deployed to enforce the ban at Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island. And now the Prime Minister wants our already overburdened staff to respond to controversies over vaccine passports at restaurants, movie theaters and at sporting events.
NPF is looking forward to September 2, when we submit our pre-budget document to the Provincial Standing Committee on Finance and Public Services, calling for increased long-term funding for RCMP services, including integrated groups such as IHIT, anti-gang, rapid response team and others, to meet the growing needs and demands of British Columbia.
Simply put, the existing RCMP cannot continue to respond effectively to the growing number of calls and operations without additional officers and resources. It is imperative that the government properly funds both local and provincial police forces to ensure the safety and well-being of British Columbians."
The re-elected Liberal government will provide funds to provinces that require vaccination confirmation. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau announced on Friday a billion-dollar fund to help provinces create their own vaccine passports.
Some provinces, notably British Columbia and Quebec, have already created smartphone-based vaccine passports that people can use to confirm their COVID-19 immunization status in commercial or public places - from bars and restaurants to bowling alleys and ice hockey rinks - where provincial laws will soon require proof of vaccination before entry. Manitoba is also expected to make its passport system mandatory for some non-core businesses in the coming weeks.