Who is Chief Superintendent Marty Cheliak, and why was he removed from his position?
Earlier today, I linked to an archive full of official Liberal communication on the subject of the gun registry. Well, a new item has since been posted – which is no surprise, because it’s been a pretty big day for this particular issue, and arguably not one that went as well as Stephen Harper might have hoped.
Let’s start with a little background. Last night, it was reported that RCMP Chief Superintendent Marty Cheliak had been removed from his position as the director of the Canadian Firearms Program, as noted in this item on the CBC. A statement released today by the RCMP said that Cheliak was removed because he “does not currently meet the linguistic requirements of the [bilingual] position.”
But the decision has the opposition parties crying foul – and their case, particularly in light of the Harper government’s reputation and track record, is a compelling one.
As the CBC explains, “Cheliak was set to unveil a major report before the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police at its annual general meeting in Edmonton and get a president’s award for his work on the long-gun registry.”
The association’s AGM begins on Sunday. However, “Cheliak was told by the RCMP he’s not going to be sent there. The NDP’s [Joe] Comartin said he believes the government is trying to prevent MPs from seeing the report before the bill faces another vote in the fall.”
“We don’t have this information,” Comartin is quoted as saying, “and we believe it’s crucial for Parliament to have this information before we vote.”
Jane Taber of the Globe and Mail phrases it very succinctly. “The senior Mountie in charge of the controversial long-gun registry,” she wrote this morning, “is being replaced on the eve of a vote about its future.”
At best, the timing’s fishy. So at this point in the Harper administration, it’s no surprise that many are accusing the government of undue political influence.
“Supt. Cheliak presented part of his findings to a Commons committee in spring,” Taber explains. “The committee was examining the private members’ bill by Manitoba Tory MP Candice Hoeppner, which is aimed at scrapping the registry. But the senior officer’s remarks bolstered the opposition’s case for keeping the registry.” Now, Comartin is among those who worries that the report won’t see the light of day before the crucial vote on Wednesday, 22 September 2010.
There’s a lot more than can be said about this, but for the sake of keeping this particular post short, we’ll return to it later. Let’s close for now with the statement that the Liberals issued today, “demanding the immediate reinstatement of [Cheliak] after the Harper Conservatives ousted him for making the gun registry a model in police protection.” It makes a strong case, it pulls few punches, and it’s well worth reading.
Posted in Save the Gun Registry