Laws would have saved Mounties, trial hears
MONCTON, N.B. • Some of the Mounties killed in a 2014 shooting rampage in Moncton might have survived had the RCMP complied with labour laws, a Crown prosecutor told a judge Monday.
Crown attorney Paul Adams said the vast majority of the officers who responded to the active-shooter call that day lacked full training and requalification in firearms.
The RCMP is on trial on Labour Code charges stemming from its response to the shootings, which killed three officers and wounded two others.
Const. Doug Larche, along with constables Fabrice Gevaudan and Dave Ross were killed, while constables Eric Dubois and Darlene Goguen were wounded when gunman Justin Bourque used a semi-automatic rifle to target police officers in Moncton’s northwest end.
The charges allege the RCMP failed to provide members and supervisors with the appropriate information, instruction and training in an active shooter event, and didn’t give members the appropriate equipment.
In his opening comments, Adams said he is not alleging an RCMP failure was the direct cause of death and injury, but he said proper training and equipment may have led to a different outcome.
“Had the RCMP complied with Section 124 of the Labour Code, at least some of the fatalities would have been avoided,” Adams told the court. Section 124 requires employers to use a high standard of care to ensure health and safety of employees.
“Members responding to the June 4 incident had no training specific to responding to an active shooter in an open urban environment,” Adams said.
Judge Leslie Jackson told courtroom spectators they should be aware that the Crown’s opening remarks are what it plans to prove during the trial.
RCMP lawyer Mark Ertel said Monday the force is committed to the safety of its members and the public.
Adams referred Monday to a January 2015 report on the tragedy by retired assistant commissioner Alphonse MacNeil, who highlighted a number of problems the Mounties’ Codiac detachment faced in its search for Bourque, who remained at large for 28 hours.
The McNeil report found most of the police vehicles responding to the emergency call carried only one set of body armour, although many carried two officers, Adams said.
MacNeil issued 64 recommendations, including better access to shotguns and rifles, and training to better prepare supervisors for critical incidents. He also called for standard equipment for response teams and improvements in radio communication.