(Government of Canada Press Release) Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that William Elliott, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), has advised the Government of his intention to leave his position in the summer of 2011.
“I want to thank Commissioner Elliott for his dedication and service to the RCMP since his appointment in July 2007,” said the Prime Minister.
Commissioner Elliott will continue to serve as Commissioner pending his next assignment which will be announced at a later date.
The Government of Canada will launch a comprehensive selection process to identify and select the next Commissioner of the RCMP. Prior to launching the selection process, the Government will consult with the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on the selection criteria for this position.
The RCMP is unique in the world since it is a national, federal, provincial and municipal policing body. It provides federal policing service to all Canadians and policing services under contract to the three territories and eight provinces (except Ontario and Quebec).
The RCMP also provides policing services to over 180 municipalities in Canada via Municipal Policing Service Agreements and provides policing services to over 635 First Nations communities.
All this is, is just the blame game again for those who will not stand for their own short commings.
The government should have down something years ago but really did nothing which led to Commissioner Zarccardelli taking a part in the down fall of the Liberals under Paul Martin and then shooting himself in the foot in a lying scandal that still continues on within the rank and files of the RCMP today.
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Let’s all hope that the government does NOT hire a member from within the force, as the RCMP will be re-inventing the wheel. Elliott’s change gave alot of members hope for better working conditions all around. It’s to bad that he’s got to leave before the change has come.
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I think you are right.
Somehow I get the feeling that nothing has or will ever change except the standard changing of the face of command, when they loose face.
Looks like they just want their own way no matter what or who it hurts.
Is this what we have become and are paying for here in Canada?
Can’t believe we have come to the point where no one can do something that really matters?
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“To the contrary I think he accomplished very little, if anything at all.” says justaguy. Couldn’t agree more. Even the drivel on the website that espouses the progress, there is little substance. Exactly how has the senior management in Ottawa made the day to day life, work and safety of the officer on the street better? How have they made the process to deal with unsatisfactory performers shorter, better and fair? How has the lot of the officers in the remote areas been raised with respect to safety, working conditions, life style? Does every officer have the equipment needed for their respective roles in the organization? Has the grievance process been streamlined, modernized and been given relevancy? Has the promotion system been brought into line with modern management practices? Has the slide of benefits been reversed? Have any of the various studies translated into direct action or at least the implementation of new directives?
The government continues to pull the strings through the office of the Commissioner. They continue to hobble the RCMP to the Treasury Board. The officers that answer the three million calls for service every year deserve better than the soap opera engendered by the government in Ottawa. It is refreshing to see the officers performing their duties in such admirable fashion like the officer that saved the girl, the Kelowna members and the burning house rescue etc. that continues daily across the country. It shows the organization is much better than the bureaucrats that try to run it.
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This sudden announcement of Elliot’s departure may be humble. However, on Tuesday Raf Souccar, and Mike McDonell are allegedly in front of the parliamentary committee to debate the recent problems faced by the upper management team in Ottawa. There no show for the first invitation by the committee put a lot of pressure on Elliot and the current government. This is how real politics is player out, in other words if Elliot continues to holds his office, both show up this coming Tuesday and give verification to the complaint they file with Harper. If Elliot announces that he is going to leave office, they both stay home and say nothing. Time will tell, but come this Tuesday, my feeling is that the parliamentary committee will be looking at two empty chairs.
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Sorry to say, Boomer, but it looks like you would have lost that bet. Both showed up to roast Elliot on the open flame of the HoC committee’s spit.
The roasting is not quite over yet. I think they want to send a clear message to their political masters that they want to run the asylum their way.
After all, there are are three ways of doing things: the right way, the wrong way and the RCMP way.
What is sad is that they get to break their own rules by airing internal issues in an open forum without fear of retribution (Raf will still get a nice cushy pension, McDonnell seemed to land on his feet well). If a rank-and-file member tried doing that, they’d be spanked into submission in a nanosecond. That and the career would disappear about as fast. Sad.
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To the contrary I think he accomplished very little, if anything at all. To replace persons with other persons who are merely products of the same command and control is useless. To fill vacancies when members are being killed due to one person patrols etc is a must, not a change. Todays recruits are pushed through only to be trained by members with what? Two years of service and the onus of the detachment to weed out the good members from those that shouldn’t be there to start with? That is a recruiting responsibility and to lower recruiting standards does not solve the pitfalls. One could also argue thats Mr. Elliots temper and management style would be seen as harassment and totally contrary to the RCMP’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values. The Gov’t so called workplace review is also meaningless but the gov’t wasted no time in having one completed. How long does it take for a public complaint to be completed and are members complaints handled in a transparent manner or treated in the same fashion? Consultants will give you what you ask for-your paying them. Just like when you get a mortgage and you need a base price of a fixed amount. Guess what, I have heard of no one not getting a mortgage because of the appraised value being too low. I am not suggesting that there are no true leaders in the RCMP or that all recruits are not good members. What I am saying is that it will take much more than a shuffle to effect change. Should it really take 3-4 years to make this type of so called change and a change that happened within months of a few speaking out against the commr??
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It would be truly unfortunate if Elliott’s mission was only to reshuffle the top layers of command in Ottawa. That has been done, to some extent, but none of those people have actually left – although some may have been shifted into positions of less influence. None of this shuffling took place because the competence of these people had been judged in any meaningful way. Instead they were moved because they had the temerity to question Elliott’s management style. The reshuffle was all about the man in charge flexing his muscles than about the betterment of the organization.
justaguy is correct when he says that nothing will change because the senior positions will simply be filled with more of the same. One of the RCMP’s biggest problems has always been the promotional process. To succeed to the officer ranks one has to gain the support of those already in upper management. Such support is generally not gained by speaking ones mind or going to bat for the rank and file. Too often such support is gained through ruthless self-promotion and sucking up. The result: officers that are adept at self-promotion and interested only in the advancement of their own careers.
With regard to the fact that very junior members are being trained by slightly-less-junior members: its an on-going problem, especially with the baby-boomers retiring in droves. There have been several workplace reviews over the past decade but nothing has changed. The official Ottawa line is that the RCMP is trying to retain experienced members but the reality is very different. I can name 6 members with service in the 21 – 30 year range who have retired this year alone because of appalling treatment by their supervisors and these are all experienced members with good reputations.
It comes down to, as usual, that what the RCMP says and what they do are very often not the same thing.
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If there ever was a time to be wearing your bullet proof vest in Ottawa, now the time to put it on. Every Officer in Ottawa this weekend will be sharpening their swords, getting ready for Monday morning for the backstabbing to start, each one taking a stab at the other to take top honours. Now the only question will be who will be put in charge to make the changes that the force needs to once again be the force it once was. The RCMP has been lacking leadership for the past 11 years, except a few months when Bev Busson was temporarily in charge. The RCMP has a military past so why not retired General Rick Hillier for Commissioner. He brought changes to the military at a time when they need help, he a proven leader, something the present force lacks. There have always been rumours from within, that he would be good for the force, but I’m not sure if he would take on an organization so broken. Whoever gets the job, all I can say is, good luck you’ll need it.
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Very interesting in that Mr. Elliott Doesn’t make public his own pending departure but the PM does. Frankly I think there is much more to this than we may know, such as the pending election and perhaps that Mr. Souccar and Mr. McDonnel are expected to speak with the Safety Committee next week and just maybe there might be more information disclosed that could impact Mr. Elliott and in turn the current Gov’t. I think the force is riddled with problems from deep within and to the contrary of what one may think has been achieved, it is merely a shuffle of persons that has little impact for the sake of saying that something has been acomplished. Once an organization such as the RCMP loose faith from the public it will take much more to earn it back. What really has the force learned from Ms. Duxbury, the Brown Report, and from the many other reports through the years? Not much according to their progress on the 49 recommendations from the Brown report alone. Has that been 3 yrs already? Must be close if not. I can’t imagine a Canada without the Mounties, So come on, clean it up, accept the shortcomings and address the public concerns, member concerns, policy and outdated processes if need be, and get a clean slate, get rid of those that don’t belong and help us trust you so that we can all be proud of our history and in where we are heading in the future.
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Mr. Elliott sent out a force-wide e-mail message yesterday afternoon announcing his upcoming departure – right at the time all of Ottawa was headed home for the weekend. The general opinion around the water cooler was that the departure was inevitable given the revelations expected from Mr. Souccar et al. The other general opinion was that none of us would notice his absence. His Change Management Teams, despite regular back-patting announcements, haven’t actually resulted in any change as far as the rank and file can see.
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RCMP boss to step down
Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa (Toronto Star)
Feb 4, 2011
The first civilian to hold the job as Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is stepping aside after three-and-a-half years, and months of internal turmoil at the storied police force.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the departure of RCMP Commissioner William Elliott by news release Friday, suggesting it was Elliott’s decision to go.
Harper said Elliott advised the government “of intention to leave his position in the summer of 2011.”
Elliott gave no indication of his pending departure as he attended a luncheon of deputy ministers in Ottawa Friday.
“I want to thank Commissioner Elliott for his dedication and service to the RCMP since his appointment in July 2007,” said Harper in a written statement as he was attending a Washington meeting with President Barack Obama.
Elliott will continue to serve as Commissioner pending his next assignment which will be announced “at a later date,” Harper said.
Elliott’s last several months were tumultuous. A group of senior Mounties had complained about his “verbally abusive” management style at the top.
Elliott moved to shuffle aside some of his most vocal critics, and replace many who took voluntarily retired with people who shared his ideas for the changes needed.
However, many had complained that change under Elliott was moving too slowly.
Appointed by the Conservative government in July 2007, Elliott took over the reins at the top at a troubled time in the organization’s history, when the force was plagued by a pension fund scandal, numerous inquiries that questioned its stumbling on national security files, and after former commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli stepped aside.
Zaccardelli admitted misinforming a parliamentary committee about the RCMP’s advice to the government in the Maher Arar affair. He was briefly replaced by interim commissioner Bev Busson, a career Mountie.
Elliott declined interviews Friday, and is scheduled to be out of town on business next week, RCMP spokesman Sgt. Julie Gagnon said.
In an internal announcement to rank-and-file RCMP staff, Elliott directly addressed the sweeping changes he has overseen.
“As you are aware, there have been an unprecedented number of changes to our Senior Management Team over the last few months,” he wrote.
“I am confident that the new team is very strong and well positioned to lead the Force in continuing to provide high quality services to Canadians and advancing our ongoing efforts to bring about positive change in the RCMP.”
“I have had the honour of serving as Commissioner for almost four years and have decided that it will soon be time for me to move on to new challenges and to hand over to my successor the task of leading this remarkable and important national institution.”
Elliott said he had “recently” discussed the decision with Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Privy Council Clerk Wayne Wouters. He said the process to find his replacement will begin “in the near future.”
Until then, he said he will remain as commissioner and “will do all I can to ensure a smooth transition.”
Elliott expressed to RCMP members his “respect and admiration for the jobs you do and my gratitude for the support and many kindnesses that have been extended to me throughout my tenure as Commissioner.”
The government says it will launch “a comprehensive selection process” to select Elliott’s replacement. It promises to consult with the Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on the selection criteria for the job prior to the consultations.