Trudeau Liberal MP calls police unions a 'huge problem'

The Liberal chair of the House of Commons' public safety committee John McKay has called police unions "a huge problem" in a meeting.

Similarly, the RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki—who has been facing calls to resign—said that she "won’t appreciate getting thrown under the bus" by the police union, according to Blacklock's Reporter.

"We will base that on mutual respect and holding members to account who need to be held to account," she continued. "In those discussions I have said we don’t want to be in conflict."

"I will take a nudge any time, but I won’t appreciate being thrown under the bus," concluded the commissioner.

Police unions have been facing a great deal of criticism in the wake of the black lives matter protests. Many Canadians believe these unions play an instrumental role in Canada's alleged policing failures.

The Ontario Liberal MP McKay highlighted this point, saying that "in the United States and possibly even other police forces here in Canada, the unions have frequently been a huge problem, particularly protecting officers who by any other circumstance should have been let go."

McKay, asking "what assurance can you give as the Commissioner and possibly even as chief of human resources this does not become a problem, and that the union is – how shall we say – on the same page as the RCMP as far as dealing with officers who are truly a problem?"

The RCMP commissioner was somewhat more optimistic, saying that Canada's police unions could be the envy of the world. "We will base that on mutual respect and holding members to account who need to be held to account," she said.