RCMP revises Quebec border ‘interview guide’
The RCMP has issued a statement concerning a controversial ‘interview guide’ being used to question illegal border crossers at the Quebec border that has raised concerns that it is designed to target specifically refugee claimants of the Muslim faith. The following statement was released Friday by the federal police force’s National Headquarters. “The development and implementation of the interview guide being used at the Quebec border was intended to streamline processing and provide consistency in preliminary risk assessments. This was a local initiative in C Division (Quebec) and was not sanctioned by RCMP National Headquarters and was not a national standard operating procedure.
The guide has now been revised to remove three questions. A thorough review is currently under way to determine what data was gathered and possibly stored.
A new guide is being drafted by RCMP National Headquarters and will be shared across the country, replacing the revised C Division guide.
This new guide will adhere to the RCMP'S bias-free policing policy, which is based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination, as well as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act, the RCMP Act, and the RCMP'S mission, vision and values.
Bias-free policing means equitable treatment of all persons by all RCMP employees in the performance of their duties, in accordance with the law and without abusing their authority.
The RCMP does not target any individual or group based solely on their racial, gender, ethnic or religious background, and focuses on observed or suspected criminality and behaviours.
The RCMP is committed to protecting the safety of Canadians and keeping our borders secure. When individuals are intercepted crossing the border illegally, their intentions are not known. Officers use the tools at their disposal to confirm the identity of the individuals, and to assess their activities and intentions while respecting the human rights of the individual.
At the same time, people seeking asylum in Canada must be treated with compassion and afforded due process under the law.
Until the review is completed, the RCMP has no further comment.”