Dear editor,
A young woman, 17 years old, still in high school, was murdered in Surrey by a sexual predator, recently released from prison. Now in all this “talk” we hear the RCMP can’t provide surveillance on sexual predators who are likely to re-offend, due to a lack of resources.
We have only the RCMP’s word for that. When Kinder Morgan calls the RCMP, the RCMP has all sorts of time and money to provide “protection/surveillance” for our corporate citizen.
A 71-year-old woman, Leslie Askin, was out in Burnaby, taking pictures of the Shell oil tanker farm.
Kinder Morgan did not take kindly to these activities and reported her vehicle plates to the RCMP. Ms. Askin wasn’t breaking any laws, didn’t have a criminal record, wasn’t anywhere she wasn’t lawfully permitted to be. She was taking pictures to use in a presentation to the National Energy Board in opposition to Kinder Morgan’s pipeline expansion.
What happened? Ms. Askin received a “visit” from the RCMP, specifically E-division, Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.
This is happening more frequently; the surveillance of taxpaying, law-bidding citizens. So when the RCMP says it doesn’t have the money to provide surveillance of sexual predators, I don’t believe them.
If they have money to “snoop” on Ms. Askin, they have money to “snoop” on convicted sexual predators, with a likelihood to re-offend.
It is suggested someone in the RCMP/Conservative government has decided it’s more important to protect Kinder Morgan than the rest of us from sexual predators, who have a likelihood to re-offend. Perhaps it is just part of an ongoing trend where the murdering of women just isn’t as “important” as the “security” of oil companies and their assets.
So, MP John Duncan, when is your party going to start protecting the interests of females who aren’t Kinder Morgan and re-allocate resources so the RCMP can conduct surveillance of sexual predators, likely to re-offend? While you’re at it try to remember there are already 1,200 murdered/missing First Nations women. Don’t they and their families deserve the same level of service Kinder Morgan is getting?
E. A. Foster
Comox