A motion to be presented in the House of Commons got the support of the provincial UCP Party yesterday (March 14), and Airdrie MLA Angela Pitt was front and center among the party members showing their support.  

Lakeland Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs will introduce federal Motion - 167 in an effort to tackle the problem of rural crime.  Stubbs' motion went on notice in the House of Commons on February 1st, 2018 and is expected to be debated on March 27th.

It calls on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to assess rural crime rates and trends, examines RCMP policing and staff resources along with provincial and municipal partnerships in rural and remote communities across Canada, and to provide recommendations.  

Pitt, the United Conservative Justice Critic, believes that it just makes sense to have a provincial party like the UCP throw their weight behind the bil since the problem of rural crime is rampant across Canada.

"There's been a lot of support to Shannon Stubbs Motion - 167 right across Canada, especially in Alberta from various town councils and mayors and reeves.  Of course the support of the United Conservative Party and the support of the Alberta caucus of the Conservative Party of Canada.  At the end of the day, that's what it's going to take, it's going to take the support of all levels of government and all organizations to actually make a difference.  We want people to feel safer in their communities and safer in their homes and do right by Albertans because no individual or business owner should feel unsafe and feel like their livelihood is threatened."

Pitt believes that support from the UCP on a provincial level will help move the federal motion along.  "We're an elected body and we're responsible to our constituents as well and we carry that voice of our constituents so we're really hoping that gives some weight to the bill and that's why we support it.  It makes sense, it's a common-sense solution to the real problems that we're facing and I wish we had all-party support too."

Tonight Pitt will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Rural Crime in Airdrie and says that Stubbs' motion will be talked about.  "Blake Richards I'm sure will be cued up and talking about this motion I'm sure.  It would be nice if we had a petition too in support of greater strength to this motion, whatever we can possibly do to move this thing forward and let the members of the federal committee know this is something that's really important to all people and by the most important stakeholder in and of itself and that's the citizens of Alberta and Canada."

The provincial NDP government in Alberta just announced $10 million for fighting rural crime i the province, including new RCMP officers, Crown Prosecutors, and other resources.  When asked if this was as a result of the UCP's efforts to shed a light on rural crime, Pitt is adamant.

"Let's be very clear,  the NDP has done whatever they can to throw this problem under the rug.  They've refused to acknowledge that this is even happening in Alberta.  Just last fall our party called for the government to have an emergency debate on rural crime in the province and they just sluffed it off saying this isn't an emergency, we don't have a problem, nothing to see here.  There very clearly is a problem, right across this province.  The announcement they made last week, 39 new officers, is just a piddly drop in the bucket.  This doesn't even begin to address some of the problems we have.  We're grateful for the offering, but there's so much more to be done. "

Tonight's Town Hall Meeting on Rural Crime gets underway at 7:30 pm at Airdrie's Hampton Inn and Suites.  Pitt will be joined by Banff - Airdrie Conservative MP Blake Richards, along with members of the RCMP and Rural Crime Watch.  

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