Ex-West Shore Mountie says he was bullied, harassed
A former West Shore Mountie is speaking out about bullying and harassment that he says forced him to leave the RCMP.
Max Fossum, a 22-year veteran, said he sees much of his experience documented in a RCMP watchdog’s report, released Monday. The report criticized the national police force for its failure to address widespread bullying and harassment.
Ian MacPhail, chairman of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP, found the force’s top brass is incapable of making reforms to its dysfunctional culture. He urged the federal government to bring in civilian governance.
“A change in governance is required, and such change must come from the outside,” MacPhail wrote.
Fossum said that in 2014, while he was a watch commander, he was intimidated by his superiors after he objected to additional work while he was dealing with his sick father.
He said that despite having a note from his psychologist that he should take two weeks off due to stress, he received two code-of-conduct complaints and was suspended because he refused orders to attend a meeting with a detachment commander. Fossum said the commander had yelled at him in the past and he could not handle another verbal confrontation.
Fossum had been seeing a psychologist due to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, relating to some of the traumas he witnessed over two decades with the RCMP.
He filed a harassment complaint against the detachment commander, but RCMP officials determined the complaint to be unfounded.
No independent body has reviewed Fossum’s complaint to gauge whether it has merit.
Fossum said harassment complaints should be investigated by someone independent of the RCMP, one of MacPhail’s recommendations. MacPhail found that uniform members who investigate harassment complaints can have conflicts of interest because they are not independent of the chain of command.
Fossum, 50, took a medical retirement last year and is now living in Courtenay. He was at the rank of sergeant when he left. West Shore RCMP would not comment on Fossum’s complaints, referring the Times Colonist to the RCMP’s E Division, which covers B.C. A spokeswoman for E Division referred the matter to RCMP national headquarters, which pointed to a statement by RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson.
Paulson said the watchdog report contains good recommendations, but changing the culture of the Mounties will take considerable time. “I’ve characterized it as generational,” he said. “As long as we can continue to demonstrate progress, I think we should give these things time.”
The majority of complaints reported by RCMP employees involve allegations of abuse of authority and intimidation by supervisors or those in a management position against a subordinate, MacPhail’s report said. Allegations include being berated or belittled in public, punitive transfers or having leave requests arbitrarily denied. “Some members report, for example, that conduct violations are being used to target and intimidate members, particularly if they raise concerns about harassment,” MacPhail wrote.
Fossum said that’s what happened to him, as he received four conduct violations before he retired.
The report found that harassment can compromise criminal investigations. “Not only have members indicated to the commission that criminal investigations have been undermined by the harassing and abusive conduct of supervisors, but it also appears likely that workplace harassment is aggravating chronic problems of understaffing within the RCMP,” MacPhail wrote.
Fossum said West Shore RCMP has not hired enough officers to police the rapidly growing area and several members are on sick leave. On a given shift, Mounties are often left wondering if backup will come when they call. “When you go to a call, you say: ‘My God, I hope nothing happens tonight because I’m doomed because there’s no manpower.’ ”
MacPhail wrote that the RCMP has initiatives aimed at minimizing workplace conflict, but they are ad hoc and inconsistent across the country. MacPhail’s recommendations include: • Hire civilian experts to take over non-policing roles such as human resources and labour relations. • Introduce civilian oversight. • Hire investigators from outside the force to review harassment complaints.
A second federal report released Monday, a review by former auditor general Sheila Fraser of four harassment lawsuits from female RCMP members, also called for reforms.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said both reports describe “similar serious and longstanding concerns” and will “inform further action” to ensure that the RCMP is a healthy and respectful employer.