Higgs government forced out head of New Brunswick RCMP, letter reveals
Public Safety minister used contract clause to demand replacement in July letter, obtained by CBC News
The Higgs government pushed out the commanding officer of RCMP's J Division in New Brunswick earlier this year, CBC News has confirmed.
Public Safety Minister Ted Flemming wrote to the head of the federal police force in July, saying Larry Tremblay, the senior RCMP officer in the province, "no longer commands my confidence" and should be replaced.
RCMP spokesperson Angela Chang said before the letter was released Tuesday that Assistant Commissioner Larry Tremblay made "a personal decision" to retire at the end of this month.
Flemming told RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki in the July 15 letter that Tremblay had been an "an exemplary public servant" but that "regrettably" he was not helping the government "drive significant change" in law enforcement.
Flemming said the government considered it particularly urgent to make drug crime and crime driven by drugs the top policing priority in the province and to "reverse the trend of diminishing RCMP accountability to local government leaders."
He used a section of the province's policing contract with the RCMP to ask Lucki to replace Tremblay "immediately," noting: "It is an urgent necessity."
Public Safety released the letter after a request from CBC News.
Contract clause used to remove head of J Division
Article 7.4 of the province's 20-year contract with the RCMP for provincial policing gives Flemming the power to remove the head of J Division.
The article says the commanding officer "will be replaced as soon as practicable" after a written request from the minister "that satisfies the Commissioner that sufficient cause exists that the officer concerned no longer commands the confidence of the Provincial Minister."
The contract also gives the Public Safety minister a say in who is chosen as a replacement.
"I do not invoke article 7.4 lightly, and I regret that it has become necessary," Flemming wrote.
"Please understand I would not be writing if Assistant Commissioner Tremblay still commands my confidence as commanding officer, or if I believed a solution other than his immediate replacement was viable."
Under the RCMP's agreement to provide provincial policing services in New Brunswick, the commanding officer of J Division acts "under the direction" of the Public Safety minister.
Little insight on why removal was necessary
The contract says the RCMP will "implement the objectives, priorities and goals as determined by" the minister and will provide information, annual reports on provincial objectives and monthly reports on complaints against the force.
Flemming's letter doesn't describe where he thinks Tremblay fell short on drug enforcement.
Public
Safety Minister Ted Flemming wrote to the head of the federal police
force in July, saying Larry Tremblay, the senior RCMP officer in the
province, “no longer commands my confidence” and should be replaced. (Jacques Poitras/CBC file photo)
In an interview, the minister said during local government reform consultations this year, "crime and policing" was one of the most common complaints from New Brunswickers.
"The province has put a lot of money into government action on illegal drugs," Flemming said. "We want to declare war on these people."
Last March, the provincial budget announced an extra $2.3 million for J Division's crime reduction unit "with the goal of reducing the illegal drug supply in the province."
The funding was designed to support the province's five-year addiction and mental health action plan, and was allocated to a recently created drug unit within J Division.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Hans Ouellette said earlier this week that the force was "well on track to meet or exceed all of its key performance indicators" for crime reduction in 2021-22.
He said the drug unit had already achieved 16 "high-risk illicit drug seizures" halfway through the year, exceeding its target of 12 for the entire year.
There were 14 disruptions of "mid-level" trafficking organizations halfway through the year, on pace to beat the year's target for 20.
Flemming said the force's statement about hitting its targets was at odds with what he was hearing around the province.
"I found and the government found that we were not having the kind of leadership that we felt we needed. The situation was serious, it was out of control, and that decision was made."
Tremblay was named assistant commissioner for New Brunswick in 2016. His replacement hasn't been officially announced.
The RCMP would not comment Tuesday on the contents of the letter obtained by CBC News.
Chang said the force is "committed to providing the best possible service to the communities we serve while remaining accountable to the budget we receive."
She also noted the data on drug-enforcement performance targets Ouellette provided earlier in the week.
"We work closely with our partners and communities on priorities, directing our resources to where we can have the most impact," she said.
On Saturday, J Division published a series of tweets that included an acknowledgement that the lands on which New Brunswick is situated are "the unceded and unsurrendered traditional territory" of the Wolastoqiyik, Mi'kmaq and Peskotomuhkati people.
That came two days after Flemming sent a memo to all provincial government employees banning the acknowledgement of "unceded and unsurrendered" territory.
An initial version of the tweet thread referred specifically to Flemming's memo and was signed by Tremblay. But it was soon deleted and replaced with a thread without a reference to the memo and without Tremblay's name.
Ouellette said in an interview on the weekend that the tweets were part of the force's efforts to strengthen the relationship with Indigenous communities as part of its national reconciliation strategy.
He said he couldn't comment on whether there were any "private conversations" between the government and the RCMP about Flemming's memo.
Top Moncton Mountie questioned on force's approach to anti-mask protests
Codiac Regional RCMP say officers observe, take 'measured' approach focusing on education
The top RCMP officer in the Moncton region was again questioned about why the force isn't ticketing anti-mask demonstrators apparently defying provincial emergency measures meant to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Irwin Lampert, a retired provincial court judge who sits on the Codiac Regional Policing Authority board, questioned the RCMP's approach to anti-mask rallies that have occurred in Moncton as recently as Sunday.
"If you heard the premier and the chief medical health officer [Thursday], they were almost begging for people to co-operate and wear masks to social distance and follow the rules," Lampert said during a policing authority board meeting Thursday evening.
"And here we have a group of maybe 20 to 40 people in front of City Hall making fun of the whole idea."
Under the orange recovery phase in effect provincewide, outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people and masks are required outside when physical distancing can't be maintained.
Codiac
Regional Policing Authority board member Irwin Lampert questioned why
police were standing by watching what he said was a protest making fun
of rules meant to limit the spread of COVID-19. (Kate Letterick/CBC News)
He said businesses are being fined and closed for not following the rules, but RCMP officers are only watching the protests.
"I don't know why, at the very least, they're not being ticketed," Lampert said. "I don't think they should be able to stand there and make fun of the whole thing when people in the province are getting sick and dying."
Codiac Regional RCMP Supt. Tom Critchlow, the commanding officer of the detachment policing Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview, said officers observed the protest and have tried to educate protestors.
"It's a measured approach, trying to look at the bigger picture, ensuring that everybody's safety is first and foremost," Critchlow told the board that oversees Codiac RCMP.
He said ticketing isn't always the best method.
"I'm not saying that we won't. It's done on a case-by-case situation."
Public Health reported 23 new cases in New Brunswick on Thursday. There have been 12 deaths, and three patients are currently hospitalized.
Premier Blaine Higgs said at an afternoon news conference that the majority of New Brunswickers are following the rules, but "we still don't see the compliance we need to."
The premier warned that moving back to the red level "is indeed a possibility" if that doesn't change.
"That's why the enforcement is going to ramp up and we're going to become a whole lot more serious about people that are not following the rules," Higgs told CBC's Power and Politics on Thursday.
Critchlow said police need to respect protesters' rights but will ticket if necessary.
He said several of those who attended Sunday's protest have been ticketed in other circumstances for violations of the province's emergency measures order.
Critchlow wasn't able to offer more specific details Thursday evening.
RCMP in New Brunswick have previously declined to tell CBC how many tickets the force has issued in the province for COVID-19 violations.
Go Figure why Irwin Lampert is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the New Brunswick Legal Aid Services Commission
Walter Kowalski
The RCMP in NB is a joke. It is leaderless as an organization and it shows in NB as well.
David Amos
Reply to Walter Kowalski
Amen
David Amos
Reply to Walter Kowalski
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/higgs-government-forced-out-head-of-new-brunswick-rcmp-1.6216932
Dave Shimla
why cant we comment on this?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-rcmp-officers-charged-1.5875142
RCMP destroying evidence... who is getting charged? shouldn't Lampert be slightly concerned?
Dave Shimla
Reply to Dave Shimla
or this? lots of masks not being worn either in the pictures, all within six feet of each other.,.. or is it different for different causes..
Hidden reply.
The avatar of "Guest"
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David Amos
Reply to Dave Shimla
Never forget Portapique
Al Clark
If a large group is breaking a public health directive they should be dispersed by firehose after a 5 minute warning.
Micheal Wilson
Reply to Al Clark
Do you want to create division? Because that is one way to do it. Fines and warnings work fine without causing people to hate the government even more.
Al Clark
Reply to Steven Mallaley
Division ? Like obeying the law almost everyone else is? VS anarchy, yes. Protest all you want, it's a free country. But don't break the law to do it !
Micheal Wilson
Reply to Al Clark
No as in getting cast aside for having a different take on the world. Wrong as it may be. Don't break the law but when someone does most normal people don't use force like fire hoses. They either issue fines or warnings. Like a civilized country should.
Trust me these protests is the furthest thing from anarchy. If Canadians definition of anarchy is not wearing a mask we really have our priorities backwards.
Al Clark
Reply to Steven Mallaley
reread the first ten words. This is in response to all the hand wringing by authorities that don't know what to
Do.....
David Amos
Reply to Al Clark
Wow
Al Clark
Reply to David Amos
Wow indeed! Necroposting against one's shrinks advice! The circus is back (out) in town!
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Al Clark
Why is is it that I feel honoured that you hate me?
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