Liberal Giorgio Mammoliti wants to put soldiers in the streets. In our cities. With guns. In Canada.
Irony of ironies. After the brutal backlash against the Liberal Party in the 2006 election over the so-called military ad, which claimed the Conservatives had plans to turn Canada into a police state with soldier patrolling the streets, we have a politician today calling for soldiers to patrol the streets.
But if you happen to be a Conservative who attacked the Liberals over the ad in 2006, don't worry about having to eat crow. The politician who is asking that soldiers be allowed to take over, Toronto Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, is a Liberal.
Remember the military ad? Of course you do. It was one of the most memorable moments in the 2006 federal election. The Liberal attack ad, released online but not aired on television, portrayed the Conservatives as some sort of pseudo-fascist group of thugs who would turn Canada into a police state if elected into office, and that the Canada's men and women in uniform would be only too happy to help make it happen:
Stephen Harper actually announced he wants to increase military presence in our cities. Canadian cities. Soldiers with guns. In our cities. In Canada.
Guess what. A Canadian politician wants to suspend the rights of Canadians and put the army in charge. Were we too quick to condemn the Liberals? Were the Liberals right about Canada becoming a police state?
Well, given that the politician making the recommendation is, in fact, a Liberal, I think we can consider ourselves lucky that the Conservatives won.
Toronto Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti thinks the army ought to take over policing in areas that are suffering from drug violence. Giorgio Mammoliti is a member of the Liberal Party. He was once a member of the provincial NDP and served in Bob Rae's government, and served in cabinet as a parliamentary secretary. In 1997, though, Giorgio Mammoliti switched parties and became a Liberal. He is now a city councillor for Ward 7 York West.
Giorgio Mammoliti is a social conservative, but otherwise leans left, supporting Toronto Mayor David Miller, an NDP supporter, on such issues are tax and service fee increases.
Giorgio Mammolit also has strange ideas about law and order. Basically, he wants the order without the law:
A Toronto councillor wants to bring in the army to curb the gun and gang violence plaguing his troubled north ward.
Giorgio Mammoliti, who represents York West, admits the idea may be a little "out there," but he says he is desperate to find a solution. He says gang members in the area are as bad as terrorists.
"I'm not talking about tanks, I'm not talking about armed guards on corners, I'm not talking about any of that," Mammoliti said of his plan on Thursday.
"I'm talking about bringing the resources and the tools that the army has at their fingertips to be able to resolve the problem immediately, so the army is a good way to do that."
Besides armed infantry and mechanized units, I'm not sure what other resources Mammoliti thinks the army has that can apply in a situation like this. Does he want unarmed soldiers walking up and down the middle of the street? That wouldn't seem like the help he's looking for from the army, given that he is worried about the rampant violence in his ward:
The councillor's controversial comments come a day after as many as 15 gunshots rang in the area during a morning shootout. Two people were involved in the gun battle near Sheppard and Keele Avenues, and police arrested 27-year-old Richardo Shackleford and charged him with attempted murder and numerous firearms offences.
No one was hurt during the incident, but a nearby elementary school was locked down for a short time. Some city workers narrowly escaped injury when a bullet pierced their truck.
Police say there are high levels of violence in the district, which has seen 14 murders so far this year.
So the army is going to do...what? Use high tech surveillance techniques? With or without warrants? Would an army officer be able to recognize a situation in which a warrant was required? Could he properly describe that situation to a judge?
And when the bad guys are spotted, the army is going to do...what? Kick in the doors and tell everyone to freeze? Or launch a grenade into the enemy's location from a secure position in order to complete the mission with minimum casualties to friendlies?
And if a unit comes under fire, the army is going to do...what? Get on the public address system and plead with the suspects to give up? Or get behind cover and call in an air strike on the location pinpointed by their satellite positioning equipment?
There is a reason we've split the force of the State into two branches -- the police and the military. Their missions are very different, and in particular, their reaction to specific situations is very different. And that difference is reflected in their training and their equipment. They aren't interchangeable.
A soldier has three priorities. In order, those priorities are:
1. the mission
2. his buddies
3. civilians in the crossfire
It's brutal and harsh and it allows soldiers to survive in a wartime environment where there are no civil rights, indeed, no civil society.
Police operate within a civil society, and their application of violence is meant to preserve civil rights. Preserving civil rights is the mission. Crossfires are unacceptable.
An army unit chasing down drug suspects racing away in a car would feel justified doing untold damage to complete the mission and capture their targets.
By way of contrast, a police chase is often called off because of the danger to civilians on the road.
This is not a criticism of either the army or the police, but a recognition that they are very different breeds of soldiers, working from a very different set of fundamental premises.
Giorgio Mammoliti hasn't really thought this through, no more than the federal Liberal Party thought the implications of the military ad through back in 2006. When it comes to the military, not thinking things through seems to be a recurring problem for the Liberals.
Still, I find it ironic that we are hearing about putting soldiers in the streets. With guns. In our cities. In Canada. Thanks to a Liberal.
