Laura Cummings (Orleans Star) – It may seem strange, but the term “whistleblower” isn’t one Ron Lewis is comfortable with.
Strange because since 2007 – when the Orléans resident and former RCMP staff sergeant testified before a Parliamentary committee on allegations of abuse and fraud in the management of the Mounties’ $12-billion pension fund and insurance plans – it’s a word that’s often associated with his name.
“We just felt, that’s what you’re supposed to do,” says Lewis, who along with others, helped break the story on the allegations to both the government and media. “I was quite embarrassed about how the RCMP was dragged on to the national stage to fix the problem, when I tried for three years to fix it with internal processes.”
After seven years embroiled in the scandal – including four in retirement after more than 35 years of service – Lewis recently released his self-penned book on the debacle, This is Not the RCMP I Joined.
“The story wasn’t really known fully, especially to RCMP employees,” he says of his motivation to write the book. “They only know what citizens know … but there’s more to the story than that. In some way, it will help to make this not happen again. I think it’s valuable for employees to know you have to do the right thing.”
After joining the RCMP in 1969, Lewis spent several decades between Ottawa and rural Newfoundland, working everything from Parliament Hill security for then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau to drug enforcement.
Eventually he landed in the position of an elected representative for RCMP members, Lewis continues, as “almost an ombudsman’s role.” It was during that period – from 2001 onward – that Lewis uncovered the insurance and pension fraud, he explains.
“There were many interruptions and failed investigations,” Lewis recounts of attempting to uncover and resolve the issue within the RCMP. Out of options internally, that’s when Lewis and others approached Parliament and the media.
“(The book is) trying to put a good spin on the story for the RCMP,” he continues. “It’s been painted with a broad brush of bad behaviour. It was a very few senior people (who did this). Hopefully that’ll come across.”
It’s the RCMP’s leadership structure that needs revamping, Lewis suggests, pointing to strides already made through various inquiries and recommendations held since the scandal first broke.
“The RCMP has to learn if there’s a problem, you fix it and you move on,” he explains, stressing how the organization manages its mistakes is key. “People will forgive.”
Parliament has “come up with some strong recommendations” is the wake of the scandal, Lewis continues, highlighting the “all-party” agreements made on the issue. Some experts, however, have pointed to up to 10 or 15 years required for a full shift in the RCMP’s culture, Lewis says, which initially changed when the government “parachuted in” several senior people.
“It’s a big organization,” he explains. “It’s hard to change the culture. We have to show employees it’s safe and okay to do what you have to do.”
Like Serpico I guess Lewis is an honest cop
Sad to say but they seem to be in short supply.
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In my Opinion; It may seem strange that Ron Lewis is not comfortable with the term “whistleblower”?
I wonder what Fraser MacAulay is going through within the RCMP after he was promoted to the third in command in Ottawa right now.
Is this just another attempt for the RCMP to fix things again instead of dealing with the issues?
What did Ron Lewis expect would happen when he went to the media and went against an organazation like the RCMP that trained him and held him in confidence all those years.
I’m supprised that they didn’t tar and feather him, label him as a traitor, kick him out of Canada and take his citizenship away from him for exposing the former Commissioner of the RCMP.
Just because the proceedings were aborted in Ottawa and were honored and shut down doesn’t mean behind the scene it’s alright with what they did in everyone’s eyes, even though it’s needed.
So now he feels a need to fix it for the RCMP.
I once read in a book that a “double minded person is unstable in all his ways”
What is probably needed is clear POLICY to deal with some of these serious issues and what should be done BEFORE it happens again and it gets smeared in lies and deceptions. So next time there’s some sort of recourse instead of a bunch of “dah, what happen here” circulating around in the media and the round table like how do we fix this one as if nothing ever happens in the RCMP to warrant some sort of serious action or actions.
What is troubling here is it seems their actions are without impunity and there’s a undertone within the ranks that they are not to be held accountable for any actions unbecoming of an officer but rather stressing that they must move forward like nothing happened and it’s business as usual.
Disregarding what has been done and with very little regards for the victims left behind and the linguring cost to families, is this fair?
Why is Ron Lewis complaining about being called a “whistleblower”? Lets look at one of the other officers that helped him reveal what the former Commissioner of the RCMP was doing in Ottawa and testified at the hearings in Ottawa.
Chief Inspector Fraser MacAulay for his part was promoted and is now working not in James Bay but in a comfortable place in Ottawa as the third in command.
So if he doesn’t like the term “whistkeblower” then maybe this term might be better suited for the three of them; “Lamplighters” a term stated by New York City “Frank Serpico” after he spoke at a Project on Government Oversight (which should considered here in Canada) due to reported crimminal activities within his own Police Force.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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