Author Archive: TCRC Division 322

e-3983 & e-3984 Petition

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e-3983 Petition

e-3984 Petition

e-3983

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • For more than a century, Canada has allowed private railway corporations to own private police forces that exercise criminal law powers against citizens;
  • Railway company’s police officers are corporate employees with corporate human resources files, who ultimately answer to the companies’ private management, and that the companies can terminate at will;
  • Despite Canada’s troubled history with Indigenous peoples, the Canadian government still allows private railway police forces to exercise criminal law jurisdiction over more than 100 Indigenous territories across Canada;
  • Through the private police forces that they currently wield through Sections 44 and 44.1 of the Railway Safety Act, railway companies have investigated and invariably exonerated themselves for deaths and serious injuries for which the companies were potentially criminally liable;
  • Although based in Canada, CP Railway and CN Railway’s chiefs of police command and can discipline the company’s police employees in the U.S., even though neither chief is an authorized police officer in the U.S.; and
  • The chiefs of police’s operational command over U.S. police officers and the chief’s exercise of cross-border powers in the U.S. infringe on America’s indivisible sovereignty over its criminal laws, and the civil and constitutional rights of American citizens.
We, the undersigned, Canadian citizens, call on the Government of Canada to establish a royal commission to inquire into the nature and extent of damage that Canada’s corporate railway policing model has had on the criminal investigation of numerous railway fatalities and injuries, plus the politico-diplomatic implications of Canadian companies exercising police powers in the U.S.
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e-3984

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • Sections 44 and 44.1 of the Railway Safety Act (RSA) authorize Canada’s for-profit railway companies to own police forces;
  • Corporate railway police officers wield criminal law powers, but the constables are corporate employees who answer solely to the companies’ civilian management;
  • Through their private police forces, railway companies have investigated and exonerated themselves of criminal liability in deaths and serious injuries under their watch;
  • Protecting shareholder value conflicts with the companies’ duty to enforce the criminal law solely in the public interest;
  • Allowing private corporations to investigate themselves criminally violates the rule of law;
  • CP Railway and CN Railway operate their police forces across the Canada-U.S. border, which endows them with state-like powers over cross-border criminal law enforcement, customs, immigration, and national security;
  • From their Canadian headquarters, CP’s and CN’s chiefs of police command and discipline their company’s U.S. police officers, even though neither chief is an authorized police officer in the U.S.;
  • Given the recent upheaval and public debate around police accountability in the U.S., Canada must reform outdated legislation that undermines the 21st century accountability standards the U.S. is working to institute; and
  • Police forces must be public institutions, not corporate assets to be bought and sold on the stock markets.
We, the undersigned, Canadian citizens, call on the Government of Canada to repeal sections 44 and 44.1 of the RSA and legislate a new, federal, independent public railway police of Canada that is funded by the railway companies but answerable to an independent civilian oversight commission.

lockout for 0001 Sunday March 20th

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Brothers,

At 1610 MST Keith Creel informed us they are issuing a notice of lockout for 0001 Sunday March 20th. We have received the formal notice. As this just happened we have not had time to determine next steps but we will be keeping you informed as any development occur.

Just wanted to keep you up to date. I know this means you will all have to set in motion the plans you have made for pickets and the next few days will be busy.

In solidarity, Greg Edwards