RCMP Watch

Kathryn May, The Ottawa Citizen
A senior Mountie contradicted the testimony of suspended Deputy Commissioner Barbara George yesterday when he told MPs she asked him to remove a key investigator from the Ottawa police probe into the misuse of the RCMP’s pension and insurance funds.

The testimony of Assistant Commissioner Darrell LaFosse is contrary to what Deputy Commissioner Barbara George told the Commons public accounts committee a week ago when she adamantly insisted she had nothing to do with the removal of Staff Sgt. Mike Frizzell from the police investigation in June 2005.

Deputy Commissioner George has found herself at the centre of the committee’s probe because of accusations that she misled MPs about her role in Staff Sgt. Frizzell’s removal.

When pressed by MPs, RCMP interim Commissioner Beverley Busson said yesterday she also concludes that Staff Sgt. Frizzell was removed from the probe based on information she has gathered since initiating a review into what happened, as well as an internal investigation into Deputy Commissioner George’s conduct.

“My understanding from what I know so far (is that) Staff Sgt. Frizzell was removed,” Commissioner Busson testified yesterday.

She said she was deeply “disappointed” to see RCMP employees sitting side by side at the hearings, trading accusations in such a public way.

“That’s not the way it happens in the RCMP,” she said.

She said the pension fiasco was a “conflict between individuals” that was poorly handled by senior management and should have been dealt with before escalating into a crisis that is blackening the image of the RCMP. She said is seeking a legal opinion on whether disciplinary action can still be pursued. RCMP policy limits disciplinary action to within one year of an alleged infraction.

“I believe the issue has become a conflict between individuals, people having been treated badly,” she said.

“When I first came to this new position and was briefed around the issues, I had a certain opinion about what was happening and since I’ve heard people’s testimony, I have come to a different conclusion. I believe it is an issue of poorly managed conflict,” she told MPs. “Most organizations have conflict … (but) if it is not dealt with properly, it becomes quite unhealthy quite quickly.”

Assistant Commissioner LaFosse, the supervisor who seconded Staff Sgt. Frizzell to the Ottawa police investigation, said he received a call in June 2005 from an obviously upset Deputy Commissioner George, who wanted the staff sergeant “removed from his duties” because of his behaviour.

She has earlier testified that Staff Sgt. Frizzell was harassing, aggressive and brought witnesses to tears when he interviewed them.

Assistant Commissioner LaFosse said he told her he couldn’t remove Staff Sgt. Frizzell because he wasn’t working for him. He directed her to assistant commissioners Bruce Rogerson or David Gork, who was the RCMP’s liaison on the Ottawa investigation.

Assistant Commissioner LaFosse also told MPs he was surprised when he read the transcripts of Deputy Commissioner George’s Feb. 21 testimony when she insisted she had no hand in Staff Sgt. Frizzell’s removal. He said he ran into Chief Supt. Fraser Macaulay, who was moved to National Defence after raising concerns about the pension fund, and had “rhetorically” asked him: “Why did she lie?”

The testimony is the latest twist in hearings at which MPs have been bombarded with contradictions, allegations and conflicting evidence.

Deputy Commissioner George has fiercely denied any wrongdoing and is confident her name will be cleared.

She is suspended from duty pending an internal and criminal investigation into her conduct –probes that she is challenging in Federal Court this week.

She has testified she didn’t order Staff Sgt. Frizzell’s removal. She said the order was issued by Assistant Commissioner Gork in consultation with the inspector who led the investigation for Ottawa police.

She said she had complaints from her staff and others about Staff Sgt. Frizzell’s harassing interview techniques and she did call Assistant Commissioner LaFosse to air those concerns. She also said she understood Staff Sgt. Frizzell was removed for “health reasons.”

Meanwhile, Ottawa police Insp. Paul Roy, who led the investigation, said he knew there were concerns about Staff Sgt. Frizzell’s behaviour, but he thought they were manageable. He said he wasn’t “removed” because the investigation was winding up and all investigators were returning to their regular duties.