(CBC News) – A Mountie in North Vancouver has come out swinging against RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, criticizing his recent email response to concerns raised by another B.C. Mountie.
In a scathing letter, 32-year RCMP veteran Peter Kennedy takes aim at Paulson and questions his ability to bring about real change within the national police force.
“You do a good interview on television and say all the right things. But words will not help this organization in any way — never have and never will,” Kennedy writes.
“At this time, I do not have very much respect for your actions. You are, at this point, a man of words only. Your words are falling on deaf ears, commissioner.”
In an email to CBC News Wednesday, Paulson said he was “not sure what to make of this [Constable] Kennedy.”
“Clearly he is unhappy. I think a lot of our members are feeling the stress of change and adapting,” Paulson wrote in the email to CBC News Network’s Power & Politics host Evan Solomon. “One of my tasks is to make sure [Mounties] have all the information and tools available to get on board. It’s their job to understand and implement the change.
“Most will succeed, some will find it difficult, some will resist,” Paulson wrote.
Last week, CBC News obtained an email exchange between Paulson and Staff Sgt. Tim Chad, who wrote that trust is missing between officers and senior managers.
Paulson — who was promoted to commissioner late last year and pledged to transform the RCMP to restore morale within the force — responded by suggesting Chad is “living under a rock” if he thinks that the RCMP does not require an “all hands on deck” approach to restoring the public’s trust.
In his email to Power & Politics Wednesday, Paulson said he stands by his commments to Chad.
“My email speaks for itself,” Paulson wrote.
‘Aggressive, insulting, arrogant’
In his letter to Paulson, Kennedy writes that Chad’s opinion is “shared by many thousands” and warns the commissioner not to ignore his critics.
“I find your reply to [Chad] aggressive, insulting, arrogant, condescending and immature,” Kennedy writes, adding that Chad was just “asking for a little understanding and help.”
Kennedy goes on to criticize RCMP management, saying top brass “keeps on failing with a big fat F.”
“There is a lot more than sexual harassment happening in this organization,” Kennedy writes.
“There is bullying, intimidation, exclusion, veiled threats and more. The RCMP is slowly eroding because of management’s refusal to admit failure, or even step up to the proverbial plate.”
‘The tip of the iceberg’
Kennedy adds that few of the supervisors he’s worked for over the years merit the respect they expect from front-line police officers.
“I am proud to be a law enforcement officer but not proud to be a member of the RCMP … and this saddens me deeply,” he writes.
“As an organization, we can no longer hide, or make excuses for, our bad behaviour. We are no longer the image on the post card purchased by tourists. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Kennedy signs his letter, “A very proud police officer. A very disillusioned member of the RCMP.”
Paulson said Wednesday that it is “not ideal” to have the RCMP’s internal disputes play out in the media.
“For every email from the likes of [Constable] Kennedy I get a pile of supportive — ‘it’s about time’ — messages,” Paulson wrote.
Kennedy’s letter is the latest in a slew of complaints against the RCMP, from allegations of sexual harassment to claims of bullying and intimidation.
The RCMP is facing a number of lawsuits from women who allege they were subject to harassment and bullying on the job, including a class-action suit filed by hundreds of current and former Mounties.
[Source]
I’m thinking outside the box again guys, I’m comparing the force to what I’ve watched on CNN as some Middle East countries have fallen after years of dictatorships to more representative lead governments. Their movement started at the grass roots, the people movement spread. These people were pushed to the point that they either gave up or fought back.
Now compare what is being repeated right now with members of the RCMP taking a stand with Comm. Paulson management teams, your members on the streets have been pushed to the same breaking point and have started pushing back.
Members are tired of dictatorship management, being spoken down to, treated like they are worthless and worse harassed. It’s time to stop and hopefully realize, maybe it not the members who are at fault as much as it might be your management teams who think they are leaders. I always found bosses that treated their men/women the same way they wanted to be treated had professional working for them and the work place had a healthy environment. That can’t be said in today’s force with all the members ODS. It’s time to step back and take a good hard look at the force from every angle.
The rank and file will respect the Commissioner office, however before they respect his leadership, this has to be earned and this only can come by studying him. Every e-mail is being studied. When people show respect to each other, there is a trust established that leads to concerted effort by all. Good luck to all the present day members
WHINERS VS WAVE MAKERS
Too often they are lumped into the same group by the “whiteshirts”. They love better than to write off the wave makers as whiners. But, in my opinion there are a few differences.
Whiners complain about what comes with the territory. They cry about night shifts, working alone, abuse by the public, shit hole postings. Wave makers complain about the things that shouldn’t come with the territory, and that is mainly the hiring policies, the ineffective DSSR program, the promotion system, the dysfunction, mobbing and bulling.
The Wave makers want to make the job better for everyone, the whiners want to make it better for themselves. The Wave makers seek to make morale better, whiners lower morale. The wave makers will tell something to your face, a whiner will stab you in the back. Wave Makers attack the policies, whiners attack people. Wave Makers stand for something, whiners are opportunists. Wave makers will stand up on their own with their opinions, whiners need a group of their buddies to properly express themselves. Wave makers care more about those beside and below them, whiners care about themselves and kissing the behinds of those above them.
It’s dangerous to be a wave maker, but these are the real leaders.
“The ultimate test of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and moments of convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge and moments of controversy.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Thank you Commissioner Paulson or should I say Commissioner Cameleon. Your true colors are brightly shining through.
I would suggest Commissioner “Cameleon:, you are the one that has done yourself a disservice!
Only a child would follow up by saying that for every negative comment he receives, he receives a pile of supportive letters.
It all comes down to RCMP issued “knee pads”.
The way our organization is run, is better known as the “monkey tree management style”. The very few at the top look down and think they see nothing but smiling faces, and everyone at the bottom looks up and sees nothing but a bunch of a__holes.