Surrey MP Ken Hardie deserves much credit for demonstrating, unlike so many other politicians, that he has the capacity for independent thought and is not afraid to express it in a well-warranted argument when it is perfectly called for.
The Liberal MP for Fleetwood-Port Kells recently called on the City of Surrey to hold a referendum on the matter of replacing the Surrey RCMP with a city-made police force in an op-ed piece published in this newspaper and online.
Whether you disagree with his well-reasoned proposition or not, it was undeniably presented not for personal glory or partisan gain, but clearly in genuine concern for the people of the city in which he lives.
Hardie has proven himself not to be a shrinking wallflower. He knows when it’s time to make a stand. We applaud him for this.
READ ALSO: Hardie lone Surrey MP to speak to whether city should have policing referendum
READ ALSO: Surrey MP calls for referendum on city’s plan to set up its own police force
As for the other four Surrey MPs, well…
As this editorial was being written, we had yet to hear from three of them whether they think a referendum on this extremely important issue is a good idea or not. Surrey residents should be made known of their personal opinions on this public matter.
Tamara Jansen, Conservative MP for Cloverdale-Langley City, had a legislative assistant email a statement to the Now-Leader on her behalf, in which Jansen stated that while it’s “always important for local governments to listen to the needs of their constituents” this is a “decision for the local community to make” and that she hopes it’s one “that ensures that taxpayers get value for their money and that the public is kept safe.”
Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal MP for Surrey-Newton, gets credit for at least speaking publicly to the issue. But what is particularly egregious is his comment that “we,” which we take to mean himself, the prime minister and federal minister of public safety, “want to stay out of it.”
Ironically, Dhaliwal indicates that while he has his “personal view,” he chooses not to share it out of respect for the voters who demonstrated their confidence in him by sending him back to Ottawa for another term in office.
But it’s the “personal view,” though, that reveals a man or woman’s mettle.
And if they are willing to express it, like Hardie has.
– Now-Leader
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