(Calgary Herald, Editorial) – Senator Colin Kenny and his Liberal colleagues on the disbanded national security committee are having the last word on RCMP reform. The question is, will anyone listen?
The Liberal senators, about to lose their majority when Parliament resumes after a two-month prorogation, have taken a final opportunity to publish a position paper on how to fix the ailing RCMP. Toward a Red Serge Revival is a critical assessment of the Mounties and the Tories’ approach to law and order. It calls for reform in four major areas, that would equal a significant overhaul of the national police force.
Truthfully, nothing less than major change will do. Parliament should set aside its political differences and act on at least some of these recommendations, which are mostly neither new nor controversial.
The paper argues “fixing the RCMP is going to be essential to the security of Canadians,” and calls for a model similar to how Ontario investigates police misconduct, using a civilian body made up of former officers, judges or other qualified investigators.
“Despite a series of deaths and other tragic outcomes involving RCMP officers . . . there has been no change to the system whereby the RCMP polices itself.”
Politicians, security experts, and families of victims of police brutality have been calling for more accountability for decades. So much so, that when Kenny argues the need for independent oversight, he might as well be shouting it over the Grand Canyon.
Police should not investigate themselves, period.
Canadians have far too much proof the current system holds police officers accused of serious crimes to a lower standard than the rest of us. Often, they are not even named or charged. There was the shooting deaths of Ian Bush and Kevin St. Arnaud, of B.C.; the fatal crash of 21-year-old Orion Hutchinson, who died in an accident involving the same RCMP officer in charge the night of the 2007 Tasering death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver airport; and on and on it goes.
As Quebec’s ombudsman said in her devastating report tabled Feb. 16: “More than 20 years after the first special report on police investigating police in Quebec, this report deserves to be examined. The status quo is not a solution,” Raymonde Saint-Germain stressed.
Police investigating themselves — even if brought in from another jurisdiction — undermines the appearance of impartiality, destroys public trust, and generally lacks credibility.
Where we disagree with the position paper is in its recommendation to give performance bonuses to senior officers who meet recruitment targets of women and minorities. While a more demographically representational force would be wonderful, it’s unrealistic to assume just as many women yearn to be police officers as men. Not everyone is cut out to be a police officer or is attracted to this line of work. Introducing a profit motive to recruitment is to crack open the door, possibly enough to allow unqualified candidates to squeeze through.
The Liberal senators have gone to the trouble of spelling out the answers. But the solutions are as obvious as a Mountie’s red serge. It’s equally obvious that it’s time to stop studying and start acting. As soon as Parliament resumes, it should get on with reform, beginning by appointing a civilian body for oversight of the RCMP.
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