RCMP Watch

Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver Sun

Ian Bush lost his life. And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police lost a major chunk of its reputation.

The Bush inquest ended two weeks ago. It dealt with a tragedy that left a 22-year-old Houston man, with a whole life ahead of him, dead — within 20 minutes of being arrested on a misdemeanor charge.

Problematically, the inquest raised more questions than it answered. Now, the RCMP must confront the stain on the iconic scarlet serge tunic that once represented Canadian pride and professionalism. However unfairly, all members of the force stand tarnished by the Oct. 29, 2005, incident.

How silly that the force was so diverted last week by a debate over whether William Elliott, newly appointed RCMP chief, a civilian, should don an RCMP uniform at his swearing-in ceremony, which took place Monday. (He opted not to.) That fuss diverted both the RCMP and the federal government from a far more crucial matter that has much longer-range consequences.

Const. Paul Koester, the man who pulled the trigger and shot Bush in the back of the head, should be put on leave until the controversy surrounding Bush’s death is put to rest, to the public’s satisfaction.

At present, there is no satisfaction, only alarm. A shot to the back of a head always raises questions. In this instance, it’s but one of many screaming for answers.

An inquest is not a trial, as the presiding coroner pointed out. Accordingly, there was no determination of guilt or innocence, only a search for ways to ensure the terrible events on that October night never be repeated.

The inquest concluded with recommendations that video surveillance cameras be installed at RCMP detachments and that officers not be left alone with individuals they’ve detained.

What the two-part, six-day inquest — in late May and early July — failed to do, however, was address myriad points that must be dealt with to reinstate public confidence in the national police force.

For starters, why did B.C. Attorney-General Wally Oppal allow his department not to lay charges in Bush’s death? The precise reasons behind Oppal’s should be made public.

To many “on the outside,” the shooting of Bush had the hallmarks of murder rather than the self-defence justification claimed by Koester.

Why is that, legally, the RCMP is permitted to investigate its own officers when one its members kills someone? This is a conflict of interest.

The case was reviewed by investigators from an adjacent northern B.C. RCMP detachment. Surely an independent outside party should be involved; why is this not part of normal procedure?

The events surrounding Bush’s death are also too strange to pass the smell test. For example, why was Bush’s body left unrefrigerated in the Houston detachment for at least 24 hours before being transported to a Prince George morgue and later to Kamloops for an autopsy?

Then, three days lapsed before the autopsy was performed, timing which the pathologist at the inquest described as highly unusual.

How reasonable is it that three weeks were permitted to pass before Koester gave a written statement to police investigators and an incredible three months before the RCMP officer was interviewed?

Why were Koester’s notes on the incident permitted to be subsequently destroyed?

And what about testimony at the inquest from Joe Slemko, an Edmonton police officer and private consultant, who raised doubts about Bush being positioned behind Koester, as the Mountie had claimed, when the shot was fired into the back of Bush’s head? Is Koester some kind of contortionist?

Bush’s parents naturally were dissatisfied with the inquest findings. They want a public inquiry and RCMP complaints commissioner Paul Kennedy has the power to call for one. This is the very least that should be done, pronto.

I grew up believing the RCMP, as well as the members of our military, were among this nation’s finest.

As a result of the actions surrounding the death of Ian Bush, I now have some grave doubts about the RCMP.