Councillor, justice minister quarrel over decisions to ‘defund the police’
Posted Nov 18, 2020 11:03 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – A city councillor is sparring with the province’s justice minister over decisions to move funds away from Calgary police.
Ward 5 Councillor George Chahal said he is astonished by Kaycee Madu’s lack of judgement in an opinion piece about defunding police posted in the Calgary Sun on Friday.
In the piece, Madu criticized city council for looking at moving $20 million from the Calgary police budget into other services.
After some time thinking, I want to share my thoughts on the comments made by Alberta's Justice Minister, Kaycee Madu, on Friday.
I've found listening to Calgarians from all walks of life to be valuable, especially in my work on the Public Safety Task Force. #yyccc
1/3 pic.twitter.com/VrsFh9RnRs
— George Chahal (@ChahalGeorge) November 18, 2020
Madu also took aim at activists calling for defunding police services, even call them socialists who would prefer to have a chaotic world.
In a release issued Wednesday, Chahal said he takes issue with the minister’s take on these activists, saying his comments toward them is a clear expression of bias and hypocritical.
“I am astonished by his lack of judgement,” said Chahal. “Since his election in 2019 and his appointment as Minister, he has repeatedly demeaned Albertans while making no effort towards constructive and unbiased engagement. He demonstrates total disregard and disrespect for those with differing opinions.”
Madu said in the article that he makes no distinction between the activists and those on city council or any other politician who chooses to align themselves with the activists.
“Resorting to dog-whistle politics to deflect from government failures might be good strategy, but I believe Calgarians are more thoughtful than the Minister gives them credit for,” said Chahal.
“We will always choose hope over fear. It is a shame to see a leader so paralyzed by fear and ideology, blindly committed to creating a world that fits his personal opinions and assumptions rather than listening to Albertans.”
Madu has since responded to these comments over Twitter, claiming Calgarians are not in favour of removing money from police services.
A vote to “defund the police” is a vote to make your city less safe, Councillor. This rhetoric is utterly reckless and demoralizing to the women & men in uniform. We should be focussed on crime ⬇️ strategies, not political gimmicks & left-wing virtue signalling. #ableg #yyccc https://t.co/OVVgmWNCDY
— Kaycee Madu, KC, ECA (@KayceeMaduYEG) November 18, 2020
“Thank you for confirming your support for ‘defund the police’, councillor,” said Madu. “Calgarians have spoken loud and clear. They don’t support this political gimmick. I encourage you to drop the ‘defund’ rhetoric and stop pandering to radical activists.”
The proposal to move money from Calgary police was first brought forward by Ward 8 Councillor Evan Woolley.
Woolley wants to see the $20 million used to support more mental health services instead of having police respond to those calls.
Some on council have criticized the move, including Ward 11 Councillor Jeromy Farkas who called groups calling for this move “extremists.”
WATCH: Motion to reallocate $20 million of police budget heading to Calgary council
