Douglas Quan (Ottawa Citizen) – A criminologist is calling for a federal inquiry to look into claims this week of pervasive sexual harassment and other problems within the RCMP.
“I don’t trust any statements from the RCMP in terms of a zero-tolerance policy. I don’t buy it as a member of the public and as a person who works in the criminal justice system,” said Darryl Davies, a former parole officer and professor of criminology at Ottawa’s Carleton University, who sent a letter this week to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews about his concerns.
“There should be a public inquiry or a commission set up. I know it sounds bureaucratic, but we need to get to the root of the problems, which are clearly systemic in the force.”
A former high-profile RCMP spokeswoman in B.C., Cpl. Catherine Galliford, spoke out this week about how she was suffering from post-traumatic stress after enduring years of sexual harassment on the job from senior officers and that she has been on sick leave since 2007.
Her public statements – first to the CBC and then other media outlets – prompted other Mounties to come forward with similar claims.
In a memo sent to the force late Thursday, outgoing RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said although the cases mentioned in media reports “arose many years ago, they raise legitimate concerns about the RCMP’s current work environment, policies and practices relating to harassment.”
He encouraged anyone who feels they have been harassed to report it. “There are number of avenues open to you,” he said.
In an interview earlier in the day with Postmedia News, Peter German, deputy commissioner overseeing the force’s western divisions and a top contender to replace Elliott, said he was “troubled” by the allegations but insisted that the force does not condone harassment and strives to create a comfortable work environment for all employees “regardless of race, sex, religious affinity, you name it.”
“I would certainly encourage women who are interested in a career in policing to join the RCMP or certainly to look at the RCMP as one of their policing options,” he said. “I happen to be married to a woman who spent an entire career as an RCMP officer and is a retired member of the force. I quite appreciate the issues involved in being a woman in the police force.”
German was accused in a CBC report this week of helping an officer, Sgt. Robert Blundell, who was the subject of multiple sexual assault allegations, by letting him see copies of an internal investigation file before he was interviewed by investigators.
In a statement Thursday, the RCMP said German’s actions complied “with statute and policy which existed at that time” and that those facing accusations “were entitled to know the specific allegations made against them and have access to files and documentation not protected by solicitor-client privilege.”
According to the RCMP, there are currently 786 members of the 19,000-member force who are on long-term sick leave, which is sick leave beyond 31 consecutive days.
The harassment claims have prompted some observers to say that a union is needed to properly protect members.
But Staff Sgt. Scott Warren, an RCMP staff relations representative in B.C., said that’s what staff relations representatives are for.
He said staff relations representatives will assist members who feel they’ve been mistreated with any medical or psychological needs and help launch investigations into their claims.
If members aren’t satisfied with the outcome of an internal investigation, they can help them seek outside remedies, including filing claims with the Canadian Human Rights Commission or filing lawsuits.
There is a $6-million fund available to assist members with such matters, Warren said.
While Warren said he doesn’t think the problem of sexual harassment within the force is any different from any large company, he said there is a problem of members fearing reprisals for speaking out. “We have to clear that up,” he said.
The sexual harassment claims come at a time when the force is trying to achieve new diversity benchmarks for its new recruits of 30 per cent women, 20 per cent visible minorities and 10 per cent aboriginals.
As of the end of September, the force was made up of 20 per cent women, eight per cent visible minorities and eight per cent aboriginals.
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