The federal Tories are promising that new legislation will help keep Mounties accountable to the public, but critics say the government is missing the mark.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews introduced the Enhancing RCMP Accountability Act Wednesday, pledging to remove “overly rigid and bureaucratic” barriers in investigations involving allegations against officers. He added that proposed law will give RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson “enhanced investigative powers.”
But on Thursday, Deputy RCMP Commissioner Craig Callens told reporters in Vancouver that those new powers will not be retroactive.
“[The legislation] will not apply to those individuals who are currently subject to the discipline process within the existing RCMP Act,” Callens said.
Those individuals include people like Cpl. Monty Robinson, who is suspended from the force but still receiving a pay cheque after being convicted of obstruction of justice in the death of a young motorcyclist. Callens insists that he is trying to change that.
“He is required to respond to my notice to recommend he be suspended without pay and benefits by Monday of next week,” he said of Robinson, adding that he will recommend the disgraced officer be dismissed following sentencing next month.
Robinson is also awaiting trial on allegations he lied under oath during the inquest into the Taser death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport.
The new legislation also won’t affect the four officers with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team who were suspended from the Surrey Six murder case two years ago. They’ve been charged with witness tampering, overtime fraud, and in the case of Cpl. Paul Johnston, lying to the Ontario police called in to investigate them.
All four officers are still being paid.
For future officers accused of wrongdoing, however, complaints will be handled by a new independent civilian review commission, replacing the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP. The Conservatives are also promising more transparency in criminal investigations involving Mounties as well as new powers for supervisors to handle complaints against their members.
The force has been under serious pressure to reform the disciplinary process following allegations from a number of female Mounties that they were sexually harassed and bullied by their superiors in B.C.
Former officer Krista Carle, who says she was harassed for years, told CTV News that the changes to the RCMP Act are a big step but the force needs to go further than just firing Mounties or suspending their pay.
"For very serious allegations, there need to be some criminal charges," she said.
Former Mountie and lawyer Walter Kosteckyj says that what’s really needed is a “manifest change” in the attitudes of senior officers.
“It’s not just about the legislation. What’s really going to have to happen is that there’s going to be a real cultural change within the RCMP itself,” he said.
“The way they have treated harassment in the past is that the senior membership of the RCMP has not done a great job. I don’t see that this legislation is going to change the culture of the RCMP.”
He also suggested that some superior officers might be tempted to abuse their disciplinary powers under the new legislation.
“An officer that was bullying their members now has a lot more opportunity to do that. A senior officer that was harassing their member now has a lot more power to deal with that,” he said.
With files from CTV British Columbia’s Lisa Rossington
