Manitoba opposition skeptical as province overhauls Police Act

Manitoba's NDP government has committed to overhauling the province's Police Act following recent deaths of civilians in confrontations with Winnipeg police but the Tories say they've heard the same empty promises for years.

The government will outline this fall what changes might be made to the act, whichwas described as "seriously outdated," by Manitoba Justice Minister Dave Chomiak. The current act dates back to the 1930s.

The overhaul will spell out the use ofexternal agencies to investigate cases where police are accused of criminal offences, and it will deal with governance issues, such as the relationship between police, municipalities and police commissions, he said.

The province has been working on the matter for about a year, Chomiak said.

Public consultations will be held on the changes, he said.

"It's something that First Nations, the general public, police, everyone in the justice community will have a chance to look at," he said.

"We'll have a pretty good made-in-Manitoba solution, and something that will be compatible with all the parties involved."

Chomiakgaveword ofthe review of the Police Act earlier this week, after native groups called on the province to launch a public inquiry into the Winnipeg Police Service in the wake of a police shooting that killed 26-year-old Craig McDougall.

McDougall's death came less than two weeks after a 17-year-old boy died after being jolted with a Winnipeg police stun gun, and in the shadow of two public examinations of other high-profile civilian deaths involving police officers: the Taman inquiry, looking at the case of a former Winnipeg police officer who killed a woman in a car crash, and the inquest into the death of Matthew Dumas, a teen killed by police gunfire in 2005.

'Unbelievable'

The opposition Conservatives are skeptical, saying they've heard the NDP make the same empty promises to update the act for years.

Justice critic Gerald Hawranik called Chomiak's announcement "unbelievable," arguing the government has been talking about overhauling the act since 2002 under former justice minister Gord Mackintosh.

"We've been asking for a review of the Police Act for the last four years, every year in the legislature, and all we've heard was, 'Yes, it's going to be reviewed as soon as practical,' with no commitment as to a date for when it's going to be reviewed," he said. "That's irresponsible in my view."

Chomiak said more details would be outlined in the fall throne speech. New legislation could be introduced in the spring legislative session, he said.