Honourable senators, I rise today to mark three important events. First, and tragically, it is the funeral of yet another Canadian hero — Sergeant Eric Mueller of the Ontario Provincial Police, or OPP, was murdered in the line of duty and is being laid to rest here today. Ironically, this is happening during National Police Week — a week meant to remember the fallen and to remind us all that policing in Canada is a reciprocal activity, calling police and citizens alike to work together to make our communities a safer place to live.

It is also the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP. On May 23, 1873, a bill for the creation of a national police force was passed in response to the encroachment by the Americans on the 49th parallel in Western Canada, which was threatening our sovereignty and the lives of the Indigenous people living there as the First Peoples. This one hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebrates a modern force of over 20,000 members and employees who serve with dedication and courage in communities from coast to coast to coast, as well as lead complicated international investigations and peacekeeping missions in regions of conflict around the world.

As you know, it has been a difficult year for police officers in Canada. Since September of last year, 10 officers have died in the line of duty, setting a record — and it is only May. What all of these people had in common was a strong drive to make a difference, and they had little or no idea that when they went to work on that fateful day, they would not be coming home — ever. What is different is the environment of defund and a general devaluation of all our institutions, including policing. I believe that we all have a role to play in stopping this alarming trend.

As part of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary, I had the opportunity to celebrate with members of the force at various events in British Columbia, held in Langley, Vernon and other places in my province. The members of the new generation of the force are well educated, well trained and are representative of the diverse communities that now characterize our new Canada. Their energy, their professionalism, their courage and their compassion are reflective of their core values and are inspiring, to say the least. All of these skills will be tested with the challenges of policing today. When I served, if I needed assistance, bystanders would rush to help. Now, sadly, they rush to take a video.

We must remember that — throughout National Police Week, the RCMP’s one hundred and fiftieth anniversary year and beyond — police officers, everywhere in Canada, go to work to stand between good and evil. They deserve our support as they risk their lives for all of us.

With this in mind, I say this to all of you who serve in policing: Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

Meegwetch. Thank you.