Conservatives have gagged RCMP boss, Liberals say

A Liberal senator is accusing Ottawa of trying to “muzzle” the RCMP commissioner through guidelines that require all meetings between the top cop and parliamentarians be approved by government officials. Internal emails show that when Senator Colin Kenny attempted to schedule a meeting recently with Commissioner Bob Paulson, Paulson replied, “I’ve become aware of some guidelines from the Department of Public Safety in terms of engaging with Parliamentarians and Senators and so I may have to respectfully ask you to route your request for a meeting through the Minister’s Office or the Department.” Kenny said in an interview Thursday that the government was improperly trying to muzzle a senior public servant and that the guidelines will have the effect of shutting down communication between parliamentarians and officials. He also expressed his dismay that Paulson would accept such restrictions.