Time to fix the RCMP

The prime minister was right on cue. Out in front of the microphone and cameras, promising more gun control in the wake of the Nova Scotia massacres.

He said the government had been on the verge of banning assault-style weapons but was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

It was interesting that he appeared to link the Nova Scotia killings and assault weapons. The RCMP had not said what type of weapon was used in the murderous rampage. In fact, it hadn’t said much at all about the most horrific Canadian mass murder in modern times.

It took the force’s senior management almost a week to give the public any details of the massacres, including a vague reference to the killer having a pistol and long guns.

The RCMP’s failure to properly inform the public throughout this incident is indicative of the dysfunction within the federal police force.

That dysfunction has been obvious for years, yet the force’s senior management and their federal government political bosses have failed to take action or even acknowledge it.

The Nova Scotia mass killings, which included the shooting of RCMP constable Heidi Stevenson, a 48-year-old mother of two, once again reflect the problems within the RCMP and the consequences on its members and the public.

Three years ago, the force was found guilty of failing to provide its officers with proper use-of-force equipment and training. That labour code charge was laid after five officers were gunned down by a madman in Moncton, N.B. in June 2014. Three of the officers died.

That tragedy followed the shooting deaths of four RCMP officers by another madman in Mayerthorpe, Alberta in 2005. There were calls for a judicial inquiry to find answers to safety questions raised by that incident, but they were ignored.

For years now the RCMP has been accused by its own members of bullying, sexual harassment, failure to provide proper training and equipment and of incompetence in the senior ranks. RCMP leadership and governing politicians have said either not much is wrong, or that they are studying the situation.

Urgent action is needed before more officers are driven half-crazy by harassment, or forced to quit because of bullying, or are shot because their bosses are either uncaring or too incompetent to protect them properly.

One ray of hope for change is the Federal Court of Canada certification earlier this year of a $1.1-billion class action lawsuit against the RCMP, alleging harassment and bullying.

The class action was filed by current and former members of the force. The Federal Court’s certification means that the lawsuit can proceed.

That lawsuit should throw considerable light on the turmoil within the RCMP and the reasons for it. Many officers and former officers blame the force’s leadership, which is hidebound to decades-old traditions and practices.

Canadians should not have to wait for a costly class action lawsuit to see some action in fixing the long-standing problems within the RCMP. Global News earlier this year estimated that various lawsuits, human rights complaints and other inquiries into RCMP problems have already cost taxpayers $220 million over the past two decades.

These complaints have been well documented and reported in the media over many years. They are not just whining from malcontents. They are real problems destroying morale and respect and confidence in the police force.

The real shame is that the people hurt most by the force’s dysfunction are the people who are not causing it – the frontline officers who diligently do their risky work as commanded by bosses following leadership patterns totally unsuitable for a modern police force.

The front-line officers are the ones who sometimes can’t do their jobs properly, or quit because they can’t take the toxic working atmosphere or even commit suicide because they have become so depressed.

If I were Justin Trudeau, I would call the entire RCMP leadership into a meeting and ask them to explain why they should not all be fired. I would also refocus my mind to understand that more gun control is a far lesser issue than the dysfunction consuming the RCMP.

The RCMP dysfunction has been evident to both Liberal and Conservative governments. It must be ended to restore Canadians’ pride in what once was a national treasure.