Metro Van mayors contradict Surrey mayor's claims they unanimously support her push to stay with RCMP

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is facing rebuttals from mayors across Metro Vancouver for her claim that they unanimously support her campaign to keep the RCMP as the city's police force.  

"At today's Metro Vancouver's meeting of the Mayors' Committee, a motion was made by Delta Mayor George Harvie to support Surrey's decision to retain the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction. This motion was not only supported, but it was passed unanimously," she said in a statement last Wednesday.

"The Mayors' Committee is sending a clear message to the Solicitor General that Surrey should not only retain the RCMP, but a decision on this matter must be made promptly."

But that's not what it did — a fact emphasized by Harvie.

"The [committee] unanimously supported that motion that we write a letter of support calling for a timely decision by the province with respect to the unresolved issue of policing in Surrey," said Harvie, who is also mayor of Delta. 

"The sole intention of the motion is to encourage the province to make a timely decision." 

Locke campaigned in last year's election on reversing Surrey's transition from the RCMP to an independent police force, and, council passed a motion supporting the retention of the RCMP after she took office. 

The city has been waiting for months for a decision from the provincial government on whether it will accept the request, with Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth saying a decision is expected within the month. 

In the room where it happened

In an interview with the Surrey Now-Leader, after the wording of the motion was made public, Locke doubled down on her claims that mayors were supporting her. 

"It's my interpretation of what happened at the meeting — if somebody doesn't agree with it, they don't agree with it. But I'm not going to respond to people that weren't in the room," she said.

But people in the room disagree with her. 

"I did not think that it was being asked to support the Surrey Police Service or the RCMP," said New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone. 

"It was a late addition to the agenda, offered as a verbal motion, not a written one, and there really was no debate on the motion."

CBC News has confirmed there was no discussion on the motion and contacted 10 additional mayors in Metro Vancouver, asking if they supported Locke's interpretation of their vote.

None did.

Johnstone said that due to the rushed nature of the motion, he could understand if some mayors were confused and, in retrospect, debates whether he should have voted due to the possible implications for New Westminster's own independent police force. 

"We'll be affected in our operation by the decision that's made," he said.

"Without having a discussion with my own police board to decide whether we want to take a position on this, it would be, I think, inappropriate for me to be asked to opine on what should happen in Surrey."