Petition for cop equality !!

 Kate Bouey - CASTANET May 7, 2016 / 5:00 am 
A petition started in Vernon calling for auxiliary RCMP constables to be given the same tax credit as other volunteer first responders will be presented to Parliament. City Coun. Bob Spiers won the support of North Okanagan Shuswap MP Mel Arnold in his efforts to have all volunteer first responders treated equally. As of Friday, the e-petition had 783 signatures. It closes on Saturday. “I think we would have had a heck of a lot more signatures if the auxiliary program wasn't limping along,” said Spiers. “It's almost too little, too late,” he admitted, adding that he hoped his efforts would help other auxiliary police forces if the tax credit is implemented. In January, the RCMP informed detachments that the auxiliary program was under review, halting all ride-alongs and arms training for the volunteers due to safety concerns and throwing the future of program into doubt. The changes followed the January 2015 shooting in Alberta that left an RCMP officr dead and an auxiliary constable injured. “The government will be obligated to reply (to the petition). That's the next step,” said Spiers. “We'll see what happens.”
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Last day to sign the Petition. Closed for signature : May 7, 2016, at 3:46 p.m. (EDT)
Next Steps in Petition Proceedings:
A Member who has sponsored an e-petition will normally present it in the House as well, but is not obliged to and may ask another colleague to do so. A Member may be asked to present a petition even if he or she does not represent the petitioner’s electoral district.

There are two options available to Members for presenting petitions:
1) Presentation in the House (“front door”)
2) Filing with the Clerk of the House (“back door”)

Government Responses to Petitions

The Standing Orders of the House of Commons require the government to respond within 45 calendar days to every petition presented to the House.
Once the government’s response is tabled in the House, it becomes a sessional paper and is recorded in the Journals, and is added to the e-petitions website. A copy is sent to the sponsoring Member, as well as the petitioner, the supporters, and the signatories.
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AUXILIARY CONSTABLES:  (P.167)
 The RCMP Auxiliary Constable Program is undergoing change to ensure the safety of the
volunteers. The auxiliary constables provide countless hours of dedicated service to our
community and the RCMP wants to ensure they are not exposed to the same risks as regular
members. In January the ride-along portion of the program was removed and a review is
underway in Ottawa to define the duties, training standards and uniform. As a result of the
changes the new class of Vernon/North Okanagan Auxiliary Constable’s training was placed on
hold pending direction from National Headquarters.