Robert H.D. Head (Opinion Calgary Herald) – With the imminent departure of Commissioner William Elliott, the RCMP merry-go-round has begun another revolution. The age-old saying that there has been a lot of water flowing under the bridge since 1873, when the North West Mounted Police was organized and challenged to bring law and order to Western Canada, most certainly holds true today.
In the past few years, the force has been subjected to the arrival and departure of five commissioners, the top manager for some 28,000 staff scattered across Canada, from sea to sea to sea and overseas. While each has brought particular strengths and weaknesses to the top job, the governance of the organization has for the most part remained static.
After some very unprofessional and, in some cases, criminal acts, we now understand that legislation is before Parliament calling for an independent oversight committee and for some much needed improvement to the various disciplinary processes.
It gives me little satisfaction to learn that at least some of my 1999 comments, as outlined in a paper titled The Politicization of the RCMP, may be up for discussion. While the paper was initially authored for my presentation to the American Society of Criminologists meeting in Toronto, it became widely circulated. Rather than take note of my comments, a senior member who was obviously representing the force’s management at that time was quoted in a national newspaper as saying “the police operations of the RCMP are independent from political interference . . . there is a clear and distinct line between operations and the administration.”
My written comment was: “By being a deputy minister in government, the RCMP commissioner is frequently seen as being in a conflict position. On the one hand, he/she has an obligation to Canadians to ensure that the law is enforced ‘without fear, favour or affection,’ but this is not possible if government (in which he/she holds a position of executive status) imposes restraint that causes investigations to be abandoned or ignored. In my opinion, the RCMP commissioner should not be in a ministerial organization, but rather, that this position report to Parliament in the same manner as the auditor general of Canada.”
At any rate, from that time until now, Canada has seen a succession of federal governments, both Liberal and Conservative, without any effort made to separate the RCMP from political interference. While this oversight committee may be a small first step, many of us will not be comfortable if the force’s top manager still holds a reporting position to a government minister.
After Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli was relieved of this role, my suggestion to a particular federal cabinet minister was to please ensure that neither a bureaucrat from the police service (of which there are many) or a civilian gets the next appointment. The rest is history! Now, what about the search for Elliott’s replacement? First and foremost, the RCMP must be led by an experienced police officer and that individual does not have to come from within the RCMP’s ranks.
Second, the chosen candidate must have an open mind respecting RCMP continuation in policing contracts (both provincial and municipal), have some real on-street policing background and refined managerial skills with both budgets and personnel. Bilingualism should perhaps be used as a tiebreaker, but not to be so significant as it seems to have been in the past few years. Third, the next commissioner will be challenged to instil some of the force’s lost pride in service to Canada. Now, we too often hear that being a member of the RCMP is a “job” rather than it being a “career.” Hopefully, that can change.
One of the disadvantages of the force no longer having ordered transfers is many well-qualified senior managers in provincial/territorial field operations have declined to take a headquarters, Ottawa, posting. Perhaps the entire transfer question should be addressed during the current review of the RCMP Act.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is at a crossroads. On the one hand, it is called upon to be both proactive and reactive -to be the face of justice federally, provincially and, in many cases, municipally. All this is expected while society is in a rapid period of technological change, where there is keen competition for recruits, where budgets are tight and where a schism exists between those who are retirement-ready and those who are still gathering experience to enter management.
Insofar as the provincial and municipal policing contracts for RCMP service is concerned, many of my friends and colleagues are on opposing sides of the issue. Some believe that the age-old centrally controlled (Ottawa) system is still viable, while others are of the opinion that provinces should be responsible for their own police services, like Ontario and Quebec.
My opinion is the force is too large and diverse for a “one-size-fits-all” system. Particularly since 9/11, the RCMP should concentrate on its federal responsibilities -immigration, terrorism, drugs, smuggling, VIP security, cybercrime, market manipulation, international policing, child exploitation, etc. There is plenty of work in those fields. Of course, there would still be a significant cadre of RCMP members in all the provinces, including Alberta. This would allow a federally appointed commissioner to dedicate him or herself to our myriad federal obligations. The current provincial and municipal contracts expire in 2012 and high-level negotiations are underway. So my suggestion is for contracting agencies to begin the process of developing their own services while they engage the force for a limited time during the transition process. In Alberta, for example, it has been suggested that some 70 per cent of the current RCMP field members may decide that an Alberta police service is their preferred option. Additionally, one can assume that a sizable cadre of senior managers would also be attracted to lead the new service.
The next commissioner has his or her work cut out for them, but most importantly, the federal government has an obligation to make the appointment correctly!
Robert H.D. Head is a retired assistant commissioner of the RCMP. He lives in Cochrane.
The RCMP officers suffered an imposed raise of 1.5% despite having negotiated (and I use the term loosely) more in their last three year “contract”.
The “bonus” is enjoyed starting at the Chief Supt’ rank and above. Supposedly it is for sound fiscal management. However, the RCMP is not a business, its bottom line is always in the red courtesy of the taxpayers.
In order for one to receive said bonus, one must return money from the budget that you have control over. In an organization such as the RCMP that means that the front line officers are not getting the full benefit of the resources allowed. How many investigations were shortened, not started, or canceled due to lack of funds? How many positions left vacant? Too easy to pad ones bonus when you are the ultimate authority on how the money is spent.
It is totally inappropriate to have a bonus paid to any senior manager in an organization where returned money means citizens have been given less than full service somewhere. The easiest place to save is on the Federal side of the house where the public does not “see” the officers at work. It is also where the largest and most expensive investigations occur for the most part. Municipal arenas are more difficult because the bean counters at the municipal council level are directly engaged with the RCMP budget process.
Another troubling aspect of the govt making the RCMP run by govt rules.
Hot debate. What do you think?
23 
17
Wonderful but are we missing something here?
In Libya we sanction a dictator on human rights when he orders the killing his own people but what about here in Canada when this happens here? Nothing.
I think you should get your own house in order before you gang up on another nation. Am I for any kind of tolerance when it comes to human rights, favoring or ignoring justice issues? No, not at all. I think our own country should be considered heading at least in that direction of a better report before they try and correct some other nation.
There’s allot still to be done here but the political atmosphere is still very much in denial and still opposing inquiry reports for changes and accountability in eliminating injustices in our own country.
Would it be fair to raise the question here; are they favoring the classes at the top (can do no wrong) and while appearing to to enforce justice they deal savagely with the bottom classes of people, showing us the real issue that we have here in Canada which is a two tear system where one expects and gets justice while they others get hurt.
Hot debate. What do you think?
17 
21
I couldn’t agree more with you. Government forces members to go through Veterans Affairs for a so called disability pension for any permanent disability related to work, however, how those disabilities are brought on doesn’t seem to matter be it through the “normal” scope of one’s duties or if it may be one caused directly by members or the organization itself. I see a big difference between the two. That process may even bar a legal course via the courts if the target member worked in a federal position and wasn’t working in a contract position. All this does is take further responsibility and accountability away from the RCMP themselves as an organization and those respondent members within.
Veterans Affairs does not address the cause or means responsible for the disability. Again, your tax dollars at work in so far as leaving the rotten eggs at bay, allowing them to fester and manifest to where several more legitimate members turn sour. Your DRRS reps promote the legal fund and claim they will assist in claims where the membership could be affected. So why don’t they then? And a better question is why does this keep repeating itself and why can they not resolve these issues so they become a non issue. Could it be that the respondents are rarely, if ever held accountable? How could the RCMP Legal Fund take it upon them to spend huge dollars on the question as to can members actually form a Union or not several years back? The prescribed processes, grievance and harassment policies have been outdated and ineffective for years so why have they been the acceptable place to refer members but not for the Succar clan? The DSSR are truly useless in my opinion and only look after themselves and the hands that feed them. There are some very good members in the DSSR program but some real duds too and the clout of the program is useless. The public should not only demand that the RCMP be accountable to them but also to their own membership. The public see or get a taste of when a lower ranking member screws up (that’s in every organization, I am sorry to say) but what they don’t see is what goes on in the rank and file of the senior ranks and commissioned ranks. That’s when they truly attempt and with great success, hide their so called problem cases and place everything on the member who really just wants to be treated fairly and see the organization grow into a respected place not only to work, but from a public point of view too.
Did the RCMP do good work from public perception and or from an internal point of view, during this past few or several years let alone in 2010? I think not so how is it at the Commissioner’s discretion, bonuses were awarded amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars (may have been millions, not sure) to many of the top ranks? Were members wages not frozen? Did the government not cut positions within the Air Marshalls program? Yes, great job boys and girls. This is all public information if one cares to Google. Mission, Vision, and Core Values?? Depends who you ask, Succar mentioned them, but yet I once heard another Commissioned officer say he would toss them if he had a million dollars. No there is no accountability in the RCMP, only examples to be made. Last one, promotional system is all me me me and I I I, long gone are the days of team work so just look at what we, no not we as I am not part of it, are grooming.
And just think about it, I am just another guy, imagine if I were someone….
Hot debate. What do you think?
21 
18
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated comment. Do you Like or Dislike:
22 
34
You must be part of the 15% that disagreed with the 2009 employee survey statement: “At the RCMP, colleagues treat each other with respect”
Or perhaps the 7% that would not recommend the RCMP as a job?
Hot debate. What do you think?
24 
22
One of the biggest things wrong with the RCMP is their lack of Accountability. I’ve been around for more than 10 years & one thing I’ve never seen change in is their accountability to themselves. The RCMP culture is a dog eat dog world. If they can’t even respect themselves in any regard, how can they respect the public that employs them.
Hot debate. What do you think?
28 
27