From Heroes to Villains: The Evolution of Canadian Police

One of the disturbing discoveries for Canadians during the G20 meetings is that our laws are different for police versus citizens. According to Canadian law, assault in Canada encompasses any intentional application of force to another person; assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon are much more serious. However, these laws do not apply to police. As many YouTube videos prove, Canadian police can assault at will without threat of repercussion.

Also according to Canadian law, anyone who is unlawfully assaulted without having provoked the assault is justified in repelling force with force; everyone is justified in using force to defend himself or anyone under his protection from assault as long as he uses no more force than is necessary to prevent the assault or the repetition of it. Of course if you try to defend yourself against an attacking policeman, a gang of his buddies will beat the crap out of you using whatever weapons they have available. If you have any skill at defending yourself, they will simply attack with larger gangs and deadlier weapons.

When I was a young boy, I was taught to respect the police. As Elmer the Elephant evolved into Blinky the talking police car, I learned to trust police and go to them if I was ever lost or needed help. Of course over the years I did meet some officers who were arrogant and pushy; the response ‘yes sir’ usually kept me out of trouble. The bad cops were far outweighed by the good ones; the OPP officer who burned out his car engine racing to help my sister after she was hurt in a car accident; the police who helped out bar staff when rowdies threatened our safety; the gentlemen who wrote a report after thieves had broken into my house. When I grew up and friends became police officers, I respected their choice of career and dedication to upholding peace in our society.

Since the G20 weekend, I have begun to question these beliefs. For many Canadians, our perceptions changed as we watched men with clubs beating seated civilians and pepper-spraying them in the eyes. We saw police fire rubber bullets into crowds waving peace signs; we saw small women being accosted by groups of large men; we witnessed gangs of police in riot gear attacking crowds singing ‘O Canada’. For thousands of Canadians, the police shifted from heroes to bullies.

Especially disturbing is the lack of damage control. Though the G20 weekend was a unique challenge for the integrated police services, the silence by our government is cowardly. We are told to accept that everything that was done is okay; that we should just let it fade away now that the G20 is over. Suddenly many citizens look at police with suspicion. Police focus their efforts on vandals who jumped on cars and ignore the hundreds of complaints of unjust abuse. We realize the motto ‘serve and protect’ may not mean what we thought it meant; who are they serving and who are they protecting? Obviously being a law-abiding citizen is not enough to save you from the aggression of police if you are in their way.

While the current outcry is for a public inquiry, we actually want more; we want a public apology. We want the police who assaulted, bullied and harassed peaceful citizens to be held accountable for their actions. We want the leaders who gave the orders to be identified and to explain their actions. We want guarantees that this will not happen again. Most of all we want the police and governments to serve the people, not rule them.

Another lesson that I was taught as a child was to take responsibility for my mistakes. When things went wrong, I was taught not to lie but instead to admit that I had done wrong and to try and make amends. Apparently our leaders have not been taught these simple morals and values. The longer it goes the worse it gets. We want governments at all levels to admit that something went wrong; if they do not then they will be replaced. The people have seen a Canada that they do not want; we will not let this just fade away.