Sask. NDP wants to scrap marshals service as part of 'tough-on-crime' platform

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck says she plans to scrap the province's marshals service if her party forms government this fall.

The marshals service was first proposed in 2022 and is expected tolaunchby the end of 2026. It'sintendedto focus onrural crime, gangs and guns, arresting people with outstanding warrantsand assisting RCMP and municipal police when called.

It's also been criticizedby the RCMP's union for taking away money thatit says should be used to fund existing police resources. Earlier this month, that union, theNational Police Federation,sent a letter to Premier Scott Moe,signed by nearly 90municipalities across the province, urging apause on the proposed service and citing issues likea lack of transparency and accountability.

So far, the Saskatchewan governmenthas provided the service with$14 million in funding. It's expected to cost $20 million per year once it's fully operational.

"We've already spent $20 million on this service for things like logos and some of the background work, when what we needed was boots on the ground right away," said Beck.

Scrapping the marshalsservice was part of a four-point "tough-on-crime" plan the Opposition leader revealed on Friday, after officially kicking off its election campaign on Thursday.

"The reality is that in too many communities, large and small in this province, people are not feeling safe. They're not feeling that the government is responding to the issues," she said.

Beck said if her party wins this fall's election, an NDP government would invest in mental health and addictions services in order to tackle some of the root causes of crime.

She also proposed anew "unexplained wealth" task forcethat would go afterorganized crime and drug traffickers,and a $2-million rebate program for small businesses and places of worship to help install security upgrades like alarms and doorbell cameras.

Beck officially launched the NDP'selection campaign this week.

The governing Saskatchewan Party has not officially started its campaign, but has been holding news conferences on a nearly daily basis in the past two weeks.

Saskatchewan's election is to be held on or before Oct. 28.