The West Block Transcript – Episode 37, Season 13

THE WEST BLOCK
Episode 37, Season 13
Sunday, May 26, 2024

Host: Mercedes Stephenson

Guests:
David Cohen, U.S. Ambassador to Canada
Danny Smyth, President of Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
Jodie Boudreau, RCMP Deputy Commissioner of Contract and Indigenous Policing

Location:
Ottawa Studio

Mercedes Stephenson: A stern warning from 23 American senators sent directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

I’m Mercedes Stephenson. The West Block starts now.

The blunt letter from senators on both sides of Washington’s political aisle was crystal clear: up your NATO spending or continue to fail the U.S. and the free world. We get reaction from America’s ambassador to Canada.

And, the latest in our look at the failings within the criminal justice system.

This week, fail of the effect on public safety. We’ll hear from the deputy commissioner of the RCMP and the head of Canada’s police chiefs.

It was a direct hit. Nearly a quarter of the senators on U.S. Capitol Hill sent a letter with a pointed message to the prime minister, saying we write to urge your government to uphold the commitment agreed to by all NATO allies by increasing defence spending levels to 2 per cent of each country’s GDP. The letter goes on to say the American commitment to NATO is unwavering. But when it comes to friends in Canada, we are concerned and profoundly disappointed that Canada’s most recent projection indicated that it will not reach its 2 per cent commitment this decade, to the detriment of all NATO allies and the free world. Certainly not mincing their words there. The letter was signed by 23 senators, both Democrats and Republicans, including Jeanne Shaheen. We spoke with her about the issue of defence spending at the last Halifax International