A good beginning

Ottawa has finally decided to introduce the RCMP to the concept of civilian oversight in a bid to modernize and improve the way Canada’s national police force operates. It’s an important, albeit long overdue, move. The first order of business for the civilian advisory board must be to put in place systems to ensure that allegations of sexual harassment and bullying within the ranks are fairly investigated and properly dealt with.

RCMP management has had decades to show it could handle these problems, and it has failed badly.

In 2016, then-commissioner Bob Paulson had to apologize to hundreds of current and former female officers and staff for the discrimination and harassment they faced on the job, in some cases dating back decades. That apology came just as the RCMP was settling class-action harassment lawsuits.

And a year later, in 2017, came two more highly critical reports of the RCMP and its inability — and even its desire — to address workplace problems.

But a toxic culture and dysfunctional workplace are not the only concerns that have been raised about our national police force, which also provides local policing in more than 150 communities across Canada.

Abuses of power, infringements on civil liberties, and racial bias, particularly involving Indigenous peoples, are concerns that Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has previously acknowledged have “harmed the RCMP’s reputation.”

That’s why the 13-member board that cabinet will appoint in April must be chosen carefully to ensure the right expertise and diverse representation to tackle all these issues.

The government has taken the important step of moving to civilian oversight. Now it needs to make sure the board is well-positioned to follow through with its mandate to modernize the force.