New Justice Minister of Alberta says defunding police is ‘ridiculous’

Madu told a reporter he believes defunding the police won't solve racism, and that the police do important work in the community. “I do hear the concerns of the Black or Indigenous or minority communities about the application of our justice system" Madu said, but added "that is not an excuse to pull away the presence of law enforcement that will keep them safe."

“The idea that we should take away money from our law enforcement at a time when we actually need them to be strengthened while at the same time dealing with all of those other issues is ridiculous,” Madu told Global News on Wednesday.

Madu explained that mental health services are also important and that there is enough room and resources to have police, hotlines and social workers at the same time.

The only United Conservative Party MLA in Edmonton, Madu says he has tremendous respect for the officers and has had “nothing but friendly encounters with the police” since arriving in Canada from Nigeria in 2005.

“Those are important institutions and extraordinary human beings that take on tasks that none of us want to be involved in,” Madu said about law enforcement.