WILL THEY GET THEIR (WO)MAN?
TRUDEAU OPEN TO APPOINTING FEMALE RCMP COMMISSIONER, SOURCES SAY
Facing mounting pressure to overhaul how Canada’s national police force is managed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signalled to staff he is keen to appoint a woman or someone with experience on the indigenous file to take charge of the RCMP after Commissioner Bob Paulson retires at the end of June.
Sources tell the National Post Trudeau is committed to a merit-based selection process for the high-profile commissioner’s job, which oversees 30,000 regular and civilian members. At the same time, he wants candidates who represent the diversity of Canada.
But a change in leadership alone may not be enough to address persistent problems plaguing the force, observers say.
The RCMP watchdog issued a scathing report on workplace harassment Monday, saying initiatives to address the problem have been “limited and ad hoc,” highlighting the RCMP’s decadeslong inability to bring about cultural reforms on its own.
The report by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission said only a change in the RCMP’s governance structure — bringing in civilian oversight to the force, currently run in a paramilitary style — can fix a “dysfunctional culture.”
In a statement, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the recommendations would be carefully reviewed and that he and the prime minister were “committed to whatever action is necessary to help RCMP members, trainees and employees feel safe and respected.”
Questions about the force’s leadership and governance are expected to intensify. On Tuesday, Canada’s auditor-general is expected to release a report documenting shortcomings in the force’s handling of mental-health issues.
The Liberal government pledged last year that it would be more open and transparent about governor in council appointments. However, the Privy Council Office has so far refused to comment on the status of the search for Paulson’s replacement, including whether a search committee has been formed.
Conservative public safety critic Tony Clement says it’s troubling everyone is being kept in the dark. “Nothing is known about the next commissioner,” he told the National Post.
Clement said he hopes the government conducts a broad search within and outside the RCMP for someone who can modernize the force.
“I’m sure there are many meritorious female and male (candidates),” he added.
That Trudeau would consider leaning towards a woman to fill the role isn’t surprising. After the 2015 federal election, the Liberals created a gender-balanced cabinet, and many of the government’s judicial appointments have been women.
Only one woman — Beverley Busson — has ever helmed the RCMP and it was on an interim basis (December 2006 to July 2007). The current highest-ranking woman in the force is Deputy Commissioner Brenda Butterworth-Carr, the first aboriginal woman to oversee the RCMP in B.C.
In recent weeks, the National Police Federation, an organization seeking to become the bargaining agent for RCMP members, has floated some names of people for consideration, including Janice Armstrong, who retired last year as deputy commissioner in charge of contract and aboriginal policing.
“We are looking for a true leader … a person who is a truth-teller, will stand up for the membership” and who “will be a commissioner more than a deputy minister of Parliament,” said Eddie MacDonald, the NPF’s co-chair.
But Armstrong said Monday in an email she was enjoying retirement and “will not be returning to the force.”