"There is a morale problem,' says Const. Richelle Daly. And while she doesn't endorse the protest, the Edmonton-area traffic cop says she sees first-hand the effect of chronic short-staffing.
"The lack of resources, member fatigue — just the operational burnout seems to be the biggest factor here. And I'm finding that members, when they are looking for overtime, they're more likely to take the overtime that's going to be for the front-line members and on the watches rather than doing a red serge duty," Daly told CBC News.
"The only way the RCMP is going to achieve its vision is to engage the membership in more democratic ways, and perhaps what we call non-traditional ways, than it perhaps has in the past," he said. "It'd be foolish to dismiss it. It really warrants some introspection on the part of the organization and to take this seriously."
While mounties are turning down red serge duty for non-essential events such as parades, they will continue to attend funerals and memorials such as this funeral for slain RCMP Const. David Wynn. (Jason Franson/Canadian Press)
When asked for the force's reaction to the Canada Day parade boycott, a B.C. RCMP spokesperson responded, "As more and more communities throughout B.C. plan larger celebrations, we are seeing our members, and their families, choose to celebrate Canada Day in the communities where they live and work."
The RCMP says requests for red serge duty are assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure they don't conflict with operational needs. Sometimes, ceremonial duties become part of a regular shift, such as when an event takes place during work hours. That said, changes are coming.
"Due to the extensive number and range of requests the RCMP receives on an international, national, divisional and local level, the RCMP is in the process of standardizing an approach across the force for volunteer ceremonial duties, to better establish duty status red serge duty and consistency on entitlements," said Staff Sgt. Julie Gagnon, an RCMP spokeswoman.
Related：graziaaustralia.com
Corley says it's positive that the officers are choosing to strike out at a symbolic element of the force, instead of day-to-day policing. And organizers are clear that they won't boycott Pride parades, regimental funerals or Remembrance Day ceremonies.
The last controversy over red serge duty involved on-duty officers training for the musical ride who were assigned to serve in the honour guard at Paulson's 2012 wedding. Once the story became public, Paulson later cut a $912 cheque to repay the federal government.
Read more：www.graziaaustralia.com