RCMP reform unveiled at last

(Edmonton Journal) – As Ralph Waldo Emerson once put it: “Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.” Except for his 19th-century exclusion of women, of course, the same holds true today.

So it is with that grateful sense of wonder that Canadians will greet the announcement by Commissioner William Elliott that the RCMP will no longer allow Mounties to investigate themselves in cases involving the death or serious injury of suspects. The fact that something so obvious took so long to achieve — or was ever not in effect — is in itself serious food for thought. Had outside scrutiny in such matters been in place before now, the national police’s reputation would almost undoubtedly be in better shape than it is today.

Witness the sorry spectacle following the 2007 death of Robert Dziekanski. Under the best of circumstances that tragedy would have tarnished both the RCMP and global ideas about our country — but at least some of the damage might have been contained if the initial investigation had not been handled by other members of the same force.

The interim solution announced by Elliott on Thursday should be regarded as just that — a positive first step leading to fundamental reform that ensures openness, independent review and as much transparency as legally practical. For now, outside police forces and provincial or federal review agencies will be called in when serious situations occur.

It remains to be seen whether opposition party calls for creating a separate civilian service are necessarily the right direction to take. This is a sensitive area that requires considerable expertise to make enlightened decisions.

Still, given the RCMP’s track record of late, it does seem that whatever is proposed as a long-term solution should at least be vetted by Parliament, not just the force. The respect and integrity of one of our most important institutions — not to mention the precious civil rights of citizens — have been undermined by Mountie self-regulation. Let this welcome step be a harbinger of a clear, codified structure that makes sense.