Highlights

– Abuse of authority remains a significant problem within the RCMP and hurts not only individuals, but the integrity of investigations, the efficiency of operations and the effectiveness of the Mounties as a whole. – The force has failed to address the problem of harassment, beyond local, limited programs, with no effort by national headquarters to institutionalize reforms.

– Given those failings, strong civilian oversight and government leadership are required to ensure sustained reform.

– As it is currently set up, the Office for the Co-ordination of Harassment Complaints has a useful but limited role.

– Complaints are often handled badly, with poorly trained decisionmakers using the wrong legal tests and looking at irrelevant and prejudicial considerations, which may result in complaints being dismissed as unfounded.

– Civilian experts should be recruited at senior levels of human resources and labour relations.

– The governance structure within the RCMP should be modernized to bring in civilian governance and/or oversight and to enhance accountability.

– The RCMP should adopt a simplified definition of harassment in its policies, following the approach adopted by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and other Canadian jurisdictions, to facilitate the investigation and resolution of valid complaints.

– Policies and procedures should be revised to give divisional commanding officers the discretion to screen complaints to determine if a prima facie case of harassment has been made out, applying an appropriately broad and simplified definition of harassment.

- The force should hire skilled, competent and dedicated administrative investigators (not uniformed members), who are independent of the chain of command, to conduct harassment investigations.