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Speech by Aubrey Golden to the N.F.U. Convention
Golden, Aubrey
Publisher: National Farmers' Union, Saskatoon, CanadaYear Published: 1977 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX821 A speech given to the National Farmer's Union regarding the differences between a police force and a security service and the importance of keeping the two seperate. Abstract: In the above speech delivered to the National Farmers' Union's annual Convention in Saskatoon on December 7, 1977, Aubrey E. Golden takes issue with the "self-imposed mission" of the RCMP of acting against Canadian citizens and legitimate domestic organizations including political parties and trade unions. The distinction is made throughout the speech between the role of a federal police force such as the RCMP and that of a security service. Mr. Golden points out that whereas a law enforcement body is always accountable to the public, and its function is to apprehend those who break the law, a security force, on the other hand, operates in secrecy and engages in surveillance, intelligence gathering and counter-espionage. The speaker holds the government responsible for its failure: (1) to understand the differences between a police force and a security force, (2) to require accountability to the Government for the security operations of the RCMP, and (3) to implement the report of 1969 Royal Commission on Security (i.e. the MacKenzie Commission) by creating a new civilian controlled security service in Canada. Quoting from the Commission report, Mr. Golden notes, moreover, the various ways that a security service could suffer in its effectiveness by being locked in to the same organization as a police force. The speech concludes with a plea for a proper perspective concerning the debate about civil liberties and for the reform necessary to separate police functions from those of security. Subject Headings |