Letter To Active Stakeholders
Citizens of Ontario, Ontario’s Chiefs of Police,
Police Associations, Premier of Ontario,
Ministry of the Attorney General,
Ministry of the Solicitor General,
Municipal Politicians, Public Health Officials
21st December 2020
We are Police Officers and know many other officers that support the following message.
After the unfortunate events in Calgary, the time for action is now. We have serious concerns over Premier Ford’s decision to expand further restrictions that put law enforcement officers in an untenable situation that must be avoided.
For 10 months public officials and bureaucrats have been operating with arbitrary emergency powers that often violate the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Everyday Premier Ford, Mayor Tory, and politically appointed bureaucrats are on television, radio, and in the newspapers, calling on Ontarians to slowly allow all civil liberties to be taken away.
What we have seldom seen is any comment by those in positions of Law Enforcement and the Judicial System addressing the lawfulness of these measures, or on the grave consequences they create.
We are calling on the following stakeholders to immediately meet independently from Politicians and Bureaucrats:
- The Ontario Chiefs of Police;
- Police Associations;
- Members of the Ministry of the Attorney General including Crown Attorneys, Judges, Justices of the Peace, and Constitutional lawyers.
Please collaborate and deliver clear and concise direction to the men and women in Law Enforcement. Until this happens, a moratorium needs to be declared on the enforcement of public health orders by peace officers. 10 months has been far too long for this not to have happened.
Are police officers supposed to uphold the Charter which they have taken an Oath to protect? Or do Municipal By Laws now supersede the Constitution?
At a time when the public trust in police has nearly eroded beyond repair, this is of paramount importance. The citizens of Ontario deserve transparency from the officials they have elected, as well as from the police that are sworn to serve and protect.
This is not an unreasonable request.
What happened in Calgary cannot happen again. Never in our lives did we think we would see police officers threatening to taser and arrest kids playing pond hockey.
Signed,
Police on Guard for Thee
