Regina MPs defend Depot Division in wake of report’s recommendation

Three Regina MPs weighed in Friday on the future of an RCMP training facility in the Queen City.

In a joint statement, Conservative MPs Warren Steinley (Regina-Lewvan), Michael Kram (Regina-Wascana) and Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle) threw their support behind Depot Division.

On Thursday, the final report from the public inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia was released. One of its recommendations was to close down Depot by 2032 and replace it with a Canadian Police College.

“The Depot model of police training is inadequate to prepare RCMP members for the complex demands of contemporary policing, and the RCMP’s failure to embrace a research-based approach to program development and police education and its lack of openness to independent research impairs its operational effectiveness,” the report read.

The letter from the three MPs said they were “deeply concerned” by that recommendation and suggested that changing the location of the Mounties’ training wouldn’t improve RCMP response times to major incidents.

During an interview Friday, Kram said he felt Depot Division was being unfairly targeted by the commission.

“I think it’s ridiculous to make the RCMP Depot in Regina the scapegoat in this mass casualty commission’s report. I don’t see any reason why the physical location of RCMP Depot should matter,” Kram said.

“If there were shortcomings in RCMP training, those shortcomings can be addressed by keeping the location where it is, but it seems irrational and not supported by the facts to relocate RCMP Depot or to shut it down.”

Steinley agreed.

“We can update training policies and make sure there’s different training procedures at Depot in Regina,” he said.

Steinley added that if the facility was shut down, it would be a devastating blow to Regina.

“It’s one of the things that Regina has promoted and we’re known for as the home of the RCMP,” Steinley said.

“It’s very important to the fabric of our city and myself, Mr. Kram and Mr. Scheer. As long as we’re elected, we’ll fight to make sure that phase-out never happens.”

He said he believes a lot of people in Regina would fight “tooth and nail” alongside the MPs to keep Depot in place.

“We’re very proud we’ve trained the RCMP in Regina since the mid-1800s, and it’s something where we’re proud of the recruits when they go out to do their good work across the country and make communities safe,” Steinley added.

The joint letter noted that RCMP cadets hold fundraisers in Regina, go to local schools to talk about the importance of law enforcement, help with parades, and bring a strong sense of pride to the community.

“It’s something we’re very proud of,” said Steinley.

–With files from 650 CKOM’s Lara Fominoff