Mounties march during the annual Canada Day Parade in Peterborough, Ont. on Saturday, July 1, 2006.Clifford Skarstedt/ The Canadian Press
Weeks before a federal deadline to accept terms for continued RCMP policing in the province, B.C is returning to the bargaining table to negotiate a new contract that would set the standard for similar deals in other provinces and territories.
But B.C.'s Solicitor-General says her ministry is continuing with planning to replace the Mounties with a provincial police force if the negotiations fail. If there's no deal by the end of November – the talks resume next Monday – Ottawa has said it will pull out the Mounties by 2014.
Shirley Bond said such a "Plan B" is a responsible measure for the province to take.
"It's kind of like running for office. You hope you win and if you don't, the other speech comes out," she said in an interview. "We're optimistic we're going to get a deal, but we're going to be prepared for either outcome."
Ms. Bond said Ottawa is sticking to its deadline. "As far as I am aware, there has been no adjustment of the deadline, and I think that's why there's also a renewed sense of urgency," she said.
The province has had its position reconfirmed in meetings with eight other provinces and territories looking to Victoria to set a standard that will guide their own deals. B.C. is not backing off its concerns about containing and managing costs over the 20-year deal, said Ms. Bond.
All of the provinces and territories were jointly negotiating an agreement until Alberta and Saskatchewan signed their own deals with Ottawa. B.C. has become leader of the bloc because it has the largest division of Mounties in Canada, with 9,500 regular and civilian officers.
But she said the urgency over the deadline has prompted the new talks. "Both of us have, in good faith, said, 'We need to give this a good shot,' " she said. "There is a lot at stake here, both for the country and British Columbia."
Last month, federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews gave B.C. until November to accept undisclosed federal proposals for a 20-year policing deal. Ms. Bond said the deal was not acceptable. Premier Christy Clark then said B.C. might form its own provincial police force.
Ms. Bond said the move toward new talks began when Mr. Toews asked B.C. to send "reformatted" information covering B.C.'s concerns.
The talks will run Monday to Wednesday in Ottawa. Senior representatives of both sides will attend, but neither Ms. Bond nor Mr. Toews, who have been communicating by letter, will be present. No further talks beyond those this week have been scheduled at this point.
Peter Fassbender, mayor of the city of Langley in the Lower Mainland, will be attending next week's talks as a representative of B.C. municipalities.
"The objective of these meetings is to drill into these issues and to determine if we can come to agreement on some of the key points," he said. "We're getting down to the nitty gritty.
"I think that the conversations that have taken place at the highest level and at the staff level between the jurisdictions has given everyone a sense of optimism that we can get through this and find a resolution. The proof of the pudding will be sitting down and making that happen."