PRINCE ALBERT — Premier Scott Moe seemed to be caught a little by surprise by the recent request for proposals put out by the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.
The Marshals Service issued an RFP last month seeking tactical equipment, including sniper rifles, launchers and LRAD “sound cannons.” The service said the equipment is for a Specialized Response Unit, a need it said was identified when the force was created.
“The SRU will require tactical police equipment and capabilities to safely respond to the range of high-risk situations that may arise within the SMS mandate,” it said in a statement.
But when asked about it in Prince Albert on Wednesday, Moe said he “wasn't aware of that particular RFP that was being put out for a special tactical unit.”
The indication from Moe is that he wants to see the Marshals Service focus on “their relationship and how they can support our other enforcement agencies.”
“We need to be working closely, for example, with the assistant commissioner of the RCMP; our municipal police chiefs in Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Regina and a number of other communities; and those enforcement agencies to ensure that our Saskatchewan Marshals Service is in place and has operating agreements whereby it can truly support those enforcement agencies in keeping residents safe in our communities, regardless of where they might be located across the province.”
Moe further seemed to indicate the RFP to purchase that equipment might not be a done deal when he said the government is asking questions about the RFP.
“I was unaware of that RFP that was moving forward. The government is asking some questions with respect to whether that RFP should be moving forward.”
The government has faced criticism this week from the opposition New Democrats about the Marshals Service's RFP. On Monday in Saskatoon, Opposition MLA Hugh Gordon questioned the Marshals Service's plans for ballistic helmets, shields and a sound cannon. He said they appeared to be “the kind of equipment they would use if they’re going to be the first people through the door.”
Gordon was also critical of plans to “spend more on equipment for a specialized team they might never be able to staff. This is a spend-first, plan-later strategy that won’t make our communities safer.”
When Moe was asked by a reporter if he could answer why long-range acoustic devices are necessary for the Marshals Service's operations, Moe answered “no.”
“I suppose if you had a special unit, that type of tactical gear may be necessary. Our focus and the government's ask of the Saskatchewan Marshals Service are to ensure that they are forming and advocating for strong relationships with our municipal police chiefs and our RCMP, so that they have the ability to come in when needed to support our current and our existing enforcement agencies to keep our communities safer moving forward than maybe they have been in the last few years.”
Gordon blasts Moe's latest comments
In a statement Thursday, the NDP's Gordon blasted the latest comments from Moe on the issue.
"Yesterday Scott Moe admitted that he didn't know that the Saskatchewan Marshals was setting up a Special Response Unit, with a Request For Proposal for expensive tactical equipment. He also said that the government is looking at whether this RFP should be moving forward," Gordon said.
"This is an embarrassing response from the Premier who claims to be focused on making communities safer, but who in reality has done nothing while communities have become less and less safe."
Gordon accused Moe of being "ignorant of what his own Marshals service is doing." He called for the RFP to be withdrawn, and said that "rather than spending his time and the people's money on equipping non-existent teams, Scott Moe should look at how we can make Saskatchewan safer."
"Scott Moe has clearly either lost control of the public safety crisis, or he has lost interest in solving it,' Gordon said.
— With files from Jon Perez
