August 27, 2007
Mr. Paul E. Kennedy
Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP
Mr Chair:
On Thursday, August 25, 2007, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) acknowledged in a statement that their agents had infiltrated protesters demonstrating during the recent Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America summit on August 20, 2007 at Montebello, Quebec. This admission was repeated in a press conference yesterday. This has understandably raised serious concerns among the Canadian public. The presence of the undercover SQ agents and the accusations that they may have acted as “agents provocateurs” in the course of their duty has led many Canadians to question the appropriateness and even the legality of the overall security arrangements for the summit.
While to date only the SQ has admitted to their participation in this operation, the Canadian public has been led to believe in advance of the summit that the RCMP would be the lead law enforcement agency when it came to developing and implementing a security plan for the summit. To date, the Canadian public has not been provided with satisfactory information about the extent, if any, of the RCMP’s involvement in the planning and execution of a strategy to deploy undercover agents amongst the protestors.
This lack of information, combined with the accusations of inappropriate actions by the undercover agents, could serve to undermine the public’s confidence in the RCMP. Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Stockwell Day has indicated that he will not convene a public inquiry into the allegations, and instead suggested that the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP was the appropriate authority to investigate any matter related to the RCMP. Therefore, I urge you as Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP to review the situation and make a determination as to whether you should use your discretion to launch a public-interest investigation into this matter. With little to no information being provided to the public at this time, it is virtually impossible for any individual to launch a complaint against a specific RCMP member. Thus a public-interest investigation into the matter would seem to be an ideal tool to shine light on this issue.
As our federal law enforcement agency, it is essential that the RCMP should strive to be an institution of integrity that the public trusts. We all have an interest in ensuring that these allegations either be proven to be false or be thoroughly investigated. I believe that your organization is the right body to make such a determination. I thank you in advance for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
The Hon. Sue Barnes
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