Delays in Boushie report unacceptable, union says
The president of the union representing RCMP officers says delays setting back the release of an independent watchdog's report into the police investigation of Colten Boushie's death are unacceptable and unfair to both RCMP members and the 22-yearold man's family.
Brian Sauve, president of the National Police Federation, said members are “certainly anxious” to see the contents of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission's review of the chair-initiated complaint and Boushie's family's complaint, and the RCMP'S response to its recommendations.
“We have heard from Saskatchewan-based RCMP members voicing ... over the timing, what it's going to look like and how it's going to be portrayed,” Sauve said.
The NPF issued a statement citing “multiple delays in the RCMP'S review and response” to the CRCC report, which the commission gave to the police agency almost a year ago. Boushie's family initially sent their complaint to the CRCC in 2018 after a police-conducted review internally cleared officers of mistreating Debbie Baptiste, Boushie's mother, in the hours after her son's death.
Boushie died on Aug. 9, 2016, from a gunshot to the head while on land owned by Gerald Stanley outside Biggar. A jury found Stanley not guilty of second-degree murder in February 2018.
Sauve said there's no doubt Boushie's death drew international attention and the NPF wants to ensure the CRCC recommendations and the RCMP'S response are “free from political interference and are fact-based, based on what happened in this incident.”
He said there's a lot of detail, including the court transcripts, the CRCC'S interviews with police involved in the investigation, interviews with witnesses and family members and a review of the RCMP'S investigative file.
“Words matter here. We're talking about a fairly large political football and the reports and those responses to those reports should not be driven by any political narrative,” Sauve said.
In December, the RCMP provided a response to the chair-initiated complaint review, but not to the review involving the complaint from Boushie's family, the CRCC said last week. An RCMP national spokesperson said it expected to provide a response to the CRCC'S review of the family's complaint by the end of the month.
In an email earlier this week, RCMP said “the time required to prepare a thorough and well-founded response has taken longer than expected” due to the high volume of relevant material, numerous factors to consider and the “complexities” of the recommendations and findings.
The RCMP said there have also been “unforeseen interruptions” throughout its review “as we directed our attention to other files requiring immediate attention.”