RCMP Watch

Tim Naumetz, CanWest News Service

MPs raked RCMP commissioner Beverley Busson and two of her top officials over the coals Monday for the force’s failure to improve its forensic laboratory services and to end delays and mixups that could have put lives at risk.

Busson assured the Commons public accounts committee the RCMP has begun overhauling and beefing up its forensic program following a scathing report earlier this month.

But Liberal and NDP MPs, their impatience fuelled by the findings of a separate inquiry into wrongdoing in the RCMP pension plan, grilled Busson and other senior officials over broken promises.

It was the first time RCMP officials appeared at the public accounts committee to answer to a very unfavourable report from Auditor General Sheila Fraser that uncovered significant delays and bungles in lab work - including false results from an automatic tester that found no DNA samples on a piece of evidence despite the presence of at least 100 blood stains.

Fraser’s investigation was the third audit of the Mountie laboratory service since 1990. She launched the probe after two retired RCMP officers contradicted former commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli’s claim at the justice committee in 2005 that the laboratory had no backlog and no other country in the world could meet RCMP forensic standards.

Fraser found the lab was able to reach its 30-day target for completing forensic examinations and testing in only one per cent of cases. From 2003 to 2006, the average time to complete DNA testing grew to 114 days from 91.

“Why the hell is it taking us three audits to get to the point where, we hope, commitments are going to met?” NDP MP David Christopherson asked Busson and her officials.

Liberal MP Boris Wrzesnewskyj suggested public safety may have been at risk because of delays and errors confirming identities of violent offenders through DNA sampling.

Conservative MP David Sweet took another approach, asking the Mounties whether problems with the lab services may have resulted in wrongful convictions.

“I would say no,” replied John Bowen, director of the laboratory’s biology services.

Commissioner Busson said she could not explain the contradictions between Zaccardelli’s statements to the justice committee and the comments of the two retired officers. Christopherson and Wrzesnewskyj said later it is unlikely the committee will summon Zaccardelli.

Busson and deputy commissioner Peter Martin, head of the force’s National Police Services, said the RCMP is investing $5 million to expand the laboratory service, including the hiring of 70 additional staff and specialty training for DNA analysis.