Photo Credit: RCMP

By Aaron Mahoney

Rural Crime Woes

Opposition party MPs call out Liberal counterparts for lack of action on rural crime

May 23, 2019 | 12:33 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The issue of rural crime is a big issue in Canada, but particularly so in Alberta over the past few years.

Alberta MP Shannon Stubbs held a press conference in Edmonton on Thursday, May 23, to talk about the final report about her motion on rural crime, M-167, being released by the Public Safety Committee.

Stubbs says it’s outrageous that the Liberals do not take the issue of rural crime seriously – even after hearing directly from affected Canadians.

“My Private Members Motion M-167 is a call to action on rural crime. The final report – which contains zero formal recommendations for action – is an affront to every rural Canadian who lives in fear of being victimized.”

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

After delaying hearing from witnesses until the fall, the Liberal-dominated Public Safety Committee blew through the Nov. 30 deadline to report back to the House of Commons.

After hearing from witnesses for only six meetings, the committee took over six months to finalize the report, which was a three-page summary of minimal witness testimony with no formal recommendations for action.

It wasn’t just the Conservatives crying foul about the document either.

New Democrat MPs on the Public Safety Committee also spoke about wanting stronger federal action on crime in Canada’s rural areas, adding the incomplete report fails to take into account the difficulties witnesses described in the committee’s hearings.

“After initially supporting this motion, it’s unconscionable that the Liberals would dismiss the opportunity to take action on this pressing public safety crisis. Clearly, the dramatic increase in rural crime is not a priority for them,” Stubbs added.

The report encourages provinces to spend more on emergency-response services and dispatch centres and also says the RCMP should look for ways to partner with other police agencies. It concluded by stating effective crime-fighting requires adequate police resources, partnerships with the community, robust victim support and a justice system that inspires public confidence.

Cor De Wit, the President of the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch Association, was also on-hand for the announcement to discuss rural crime.

“We at the Alberta Provincial Rural Crime Watch continue to look forward to working together on any initiatives that may help to further reduce, the property crime statistics in Alberta. Our organization is disappointed in the lack of recommendations for action in the report.”

Farmers, ranchers and rural Canadians continue to face unprecedented levels of property crimes, as Statistics Canada confirmed on May 7 that rural crime is 23% higher than in urban areas.

This problem is most acute in the Prairie provinces, where rural crime was 36% to 42% higher than in urban areas though those figures are based on the most recent data from 2017.

If nothing is done, Stubbs worries that rural Canadians will continue to be vulnerable in their own homes and having to bear enormous costs in their residences and businesses due to rural crime.