Alberta NDP back Edmonton Police 'snitch line' for offensive speech

EDMONTON — Alberta NDP Shadow Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Services David Shepherd has backed the Edmonton Police Service and its social media post asking individuals to report "hate comments," saying the UCP should focus on properly funding Alberta's judicial system. The EPS sparked a forceful reaction on Friday after the service posted that "online hate isn't 'just a comment,'" and called on individuals to report such comments using its online tool. Individuals quickly reacted with frustration, questioning why the EPS was directing time and resources towards policing "hurt feelings." Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis chimed in via a social media post on Tuesday, stating that the UCP believes in free speech, and he plans to write to Alberta's law enforcement agencies to ensure they are focused on stopping violent crime, theft, illegal drugs and vandalism. .Shepherd responded to Ellis's statement on Tuesday, claiming that the post does not seem overly controversial, and the UCP are reacting to it because the video's examples of "hate comments" appeared to target conservative individuals who oppose Canada's immigration policies. "Minister of Public Safety is sanctimoniously tweeting and saying he'll be contacting police across the province to tell them to focus on their job-quote: cracking down on violent crime, illegal drugs, and vandalism," said Shepherd in an X post. "You know, it's a little rich for the minister to be suggesting police aren't already doing that; police across our province are already hard at work on the front lines every day, cracking down on crime, violent or otherwise." .Shepherd claims law enforcement officers are already doing their job in those priority areas, but they depend upon a properly funded court system to execute the judicial process, and he said the UCP are failing to give that support. "Just four weeks ago in Calgary, we saw a sexual assault trial get dropped because there wasn't enough funding to ensure they had enough staff to operate the court," Shepherd said. "So, if Minister Ellis and Minister Amery and Premier Smith actually care about cracking down on violent crime, maybe instead of self-righteous posturing on social media, instead of criticizing police for trying to support communities that are facing growing waves of hate, maybe the UCP should do their jobs and provide the funding our courts need to be able to follow through on the work police do and the charges they lay." .EPS launched the “See hate. Report hate." campaign calling for individuals to anonymously report hate crimes in Sept. 2024 in conjunction with the Government of Alberta and Crime Stoppers. A press release from the announcement features a quote from Ellis praising the initiative. "Every Albertan deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued," reads a quote from Ellis in the 2024 press release. "The Report Hate campaign will serve as an important reminder to Albertans that there is a safe and anonymous way to report incidents of hate, discrimination, and intolerance.”EPS's post on Friday has sparked concern beyond the post itself, though. Some individuals in Alberta viewed it as a warning sign about decreased free speech rights under the recently passed federal Bill C-9, the Combating Hate Act. Premier Danielle Smith, who is a self-proclaimed constitutionalist, addressed those concerns in an X post on Tuesday and echoed her government's directive for law enforcement not to police people's free speech. "Free Speech is a foundational Alberta value," wrote Smith. "We don’t believe in policing unpopular or religious-based statements even if they are controversial. That’s a slippery slope other countries have fallen into and we can’t go down that road."

Alberta NDP back Edmonton Police 'snitch line' for offensive speech

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