My buddy, Andres, was a good guy..He was actually pretty talented, working for a major jet engine manufacturer, making parts — and those parts had to be perfect, absolutely perfect..No way I could do a job like that, not a chance, but for Andres it was no sweat..I also knew his wife Nannerl, both of them were good friends..I even took photos at their wedding when Nannerl was several months in the family way. Strictly photos above the waist, but, I did a good job..I shot Formula One racing as a freelancer so I knew how to take a photo..The problem was, Andres liked his coke. And I don’t mean the drinkable kind..It wasn’t my cup of tea, and I never took part, but I still counted him as a friend..One day, Andres and I were having a beer and he told me a story. He and a buddy got stopped on a highway by the QPP, otherwise known as the Sûreté du Québec..I don’t remember why they got stopped, but they probably deserved it. Anyway, Andres and his buddy didn’t take kindly to the intrusion, shall we say, and they proceeded to do a number on the cops..Realizing, what they had done, they stopped and gave themselves up. Big mistake..They were taken in and roundly tortured. Hit with telephone books, made to kneel on sharp points, the whole enchilada, as they say..They got off lightly in court but it was a lesson they never forgot. Nor did I ever forget the story either. It would make me leery of provincial cops..There is a lot of talk about booting the Mounties from Alberta and establishing a provincial police force..Some say, it will be more efficient and less bureaucratically inflexible, but some disagree entirely. Others say it’s a necessary step toward autonomy for Alberta, while others believe such an endeavour is nothing but a pipe dream..And so the big question is should we get rid of the Mounties on the road to a semblance of autonomy? Have they really done that bad of a job?.When I think of this question, I think of the story Andres told me, of a police force out of control, and capable of great violence with no accountability. Your worst nightmare..Do we really want that? No, God, no..Say what you want about the Mounties, they provide an array of services from municipal policing to dealing with disasters to intelligence gathering to the legendary Musical Ride, which folks seem to like..Your basic iconic national institution. They pose for pretty pictures, in Banff too..But times change and the world has changed..The reality is the West can no longer sit back and let the eastern Laurentian elites dictate a federal policy that is despicably unfair as the day is long. .Sorry, but the Mounties must go. And this is no reflection on the job they have done, let me make that clear..This is about establishing a future for my kids, your kids, and their kids — it’s time to play hardball with Ottawa, Jimmy Hoffa style..Alberta must take the baby steps required toward independence, or at least toward what Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe called a “nation within a nation.”.We must evolve, we must strike out and we must show the rest of Canada we mean business..The days of Confederation inequality are over. All it will take now is a premier with the guts to stand up to the feds and begin the process. It’s inevitable..Such a proposal would not be cheaper — that much we know..According to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, it costs Alberta about $500 million a year to pay for the RCMP. The federal government chips in $170 million under a cost-sharing agreement..The report says if Alberta decided to go it alone, it would cost about $735 million each year, on top of $366 million in startup costs..But Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu said he’s confident the government could find the money to fund it and would not raise taxes or seek more money from municipalities..Madu told reporters it’s about the province having more say in how it polices itself..“We do have a responsibility beyond the monetary implications to defend and pursue our province’s best interests,” Madu said..“Ontario has done this. Quebec has done this. Newfoundland and Labrador has done this. And I think the time has come for our province to do the same.”.He’s right — the time has come..We damn well know we can do a better job, so let’s get ‘er done..Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the Calgary correspondent for ChinaFactor.news,.makichukd@gmail.com
