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Minister Tom Marshall
Address to the Graduation Ceremonies
Troop #2 2006/2007 Depot Division
Regina, Saskatchewan
September 25th, 2006


Chief Superintendent Menard, Assistant Commissioner Lynch, Graduates, Parents, ladies and gentlemen;

It is a pleasure to be invited to take part in this weekend�s graduation ceremonies especially to be asked to address this evening�s graduation dinner. First and foremost, I would like to commend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Depot Division and our graduates on a most impressive Sergeant Major�s Parade, Badge Presentation and Drill display today. I look forward to seeing even more of the training that you completed tomorrow.

You have been trained by experts and exposed to as much real life experiences as possible; you are now prepared to effectively police communities throughout the country. I congratulate the instructors on the impressive transformation they have made in each of you over the last six months. Graduates...today is your first day as members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The hard work, determination and dedication you have displayed throughout the rigorous training program has finally come to fruition and you have earned the honour of joining the ranks of the historic Royal Canadian Mounted Police. You should be very proud this evening, I know your families are. In the very near future, you will receive your placements and embark on a very rewarding career in law enforcement and public service. You have chosen an honourable calling and I commend you on your desire to protect the rights of Canadians to feel safe and secure in their homes and communities.

Earlier this month, the 5th anniversary of 9/11 was recognized. On that tragic day, five years ago, Planes were forced to land in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Some 39 trans-Atlantic flights carrying over 6000 passengers were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community of 9000 people. During the deplaning process in Gander, the anxiety of the passengers was evident; they did not know what was happening or where they were. One astute member of the RCMP who was assisting with the deplaning process, Cpl. Grant Smith, had his members change from their working uniform to their Review Order, the same uniform you wore on parade today. When the passengers saw the "Mounties" they knew they were in Canada and were safe. The visible anxiety disappeared.

Each of you has received the same training that Corporal Smith has received and will work in communities similar to Gander. You have an opportunity, actually a responsibility to make a difference in your communities, as did Corporal Smith. You represent your parents, your country and the many thousands who have passed before you since the RCMP were created in 1873 and who have made a difference. Make your mark as you go through life.

In my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the RCMP has been closely intertwined with our communities starting in the 1880s when Cst. Ernest Peyton of Twillingate joined the North West Mounted Police and went to western Canada, or the North West Territories as it was known then, with the March West. Other Newfoundlanders followed Cst. Peyton over the years, in an exciting and adventurous life in the RCMP.

A formal integration of the RCMP into the Newfoundland way of life occurred in 1949 when Newfoundland joined Canada, or as we sometime say, when Canada joined Newfoundland. At that time, the Newfoundland Rangers amalgamated into the RCMP to continue the proud tradition of providing policing services to thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Newfoundlander and Labradorians have and continue to play integral roles within the ranks of the RCMP. A native daughter, originally from Bell Island, Deputy Commissioner Barb George is the Chief Human Resource Officer for the RCMP today. I understand, Chief Superintendent Menard, that one of your predecessors here as Commanding Officer of Depot, Assistant Commissioner Ford Matchim was from central Newfoundland.

Today, the RCMP provide professional policing services throughout our province, from Nain in Labrador to Holyrood near St. John's and many other locations in-between. In my province and in Canada overall, we are blessed with a peaceful way of life and live in a country which is the envy of most of the world. Our police services are a key component to our safe way of life.

I am confident in saying that Newfoundland and Labrador has an excellent working relationship with the RCMP. Under the dedicated leadership of Assistant RCMP Commissioner Gerry Lynch, the members of �B� Division do a tremendous job in protecting our communities. Our government has worked hard over the past two and a half years to provide the RCMP with the human and operational resources required to ensure the people of this province feel safe and sound in their communities.

We are proud of the work being done by the RCMP, and proudly support the efforts of police officers across the province and the country. The latest agreement between the RCMP and the province was signed between the Solicitor General for Canada and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Newfoundland and Labrador in 1992. We are very pleased with the service the RCMP provides to our province and are already preparing for negotiations for agreement renewal effective 2012.

I was pleased to meet two of your troop mates; Cst. Genevieve Farrell from Marystown on the Burin Peninsula and Cst. Cory Linfield from Lewisporte. They join the thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who are members of the RCMP today and those who have retired after spending their careers in the RCMP?

As a Minister of Justice, I am proud of you for your chosen career, as are my colleagues from each of our provinces or territories from where you come from.

If any of you are interested in working in the east coast, your services would be more than welcome in what Premier Danny Williams refers to as �Canada�s youngest coolest province.� I can guarantee the people of Newfoundland and Labrador will most certainly take good care of you.

I salute your parents and loved ones who have let you chose the path you have chosen, to follow your dreams. They have the confidence in you to succeed in where ever your path may take you. They are there for you as you grow, as you stumble...as we all do, and as you grow again.

As a parent, I understand the trepidation that you have as you see your son or daughter strike out on their own. Have confidence knowing that they have been trained with the best police training in the world and are now members of the most recognizable police organization in the world, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We are proud to have your sons or daughters call our communities, no matter where they are in Canada, home.

Once again, on behalf of Premier Danny Williams and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, congratulations and best of luck. As we say in Newfoundland and Labrador, �Long may your big jib draw?�

Graduates, you are now constables in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Today is your day. Be proud of your accomplishment as we are of you. Congratulations to each of you.

 


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