Overhaul of Mounties starts with new boss

The other names floated by the NPF were Alphonse MacNeil, a retired RCMP assistant commissioner; Vern White, a current senator and former Ottawa police chief; and Rick Hillier, Canada’s former chief of defence staff.

One law enforcement source said Deputy Commissioner Kevin Brosseau is also a top prospect because of his experience with aboriginal policing. He is also of Metis descent.

Rob Gordon, a Simon Fraser University criminologist, says Trudeau’s diversity aims are noble. However, what the RCMP really needs right now is change.

The force should get out of its municipal contracts and dedicate itself to federal policing matters like national security, drugs and border investigations, he said. It would also be wise to consider dropping some of its “novelty” functions, such as the Musical Ride and its

THEY (RCMP) HAVEN’T PULLED THEMSELVES OUT OF THAT MILITARY SHELL.

overseas training duties.

“They’re trying to be all things to all people,” Gordon said.

The force also needs to move away from its 19thcentury hierarchal structure, he continued. “They haven’t pulled themselves out of that military shell. That is most unfortunate.”

Last fall, as part of an historic settlement in two proposed class-action lawsuits, Paulson issued an apology to all women in the force who had ever been bullied.

But Monday’s watchdog report noted harassment complaints persist, often involving allegations of abuse of authority or intimidation by supervisors against a subordinate. This includes allegations of abusive language, berating members in public, repeatedly coming to a member’s home while on sick leave, and transferring a member as a punitive measure.

While initiatives to address workplace harassment at the local level have resulted in some positive developments, these efforts “fall far short of the kind of systemic reforms necessary for real impact,” the report said. Part of the problem is that senior leaders are almost entirely uniformed officers who have risen up the ranks and are “deeply embedded” in the institutional culture.

At a minimum, the RCMP should appoint civilian experts to help handle labour relations matters, the report urged. The public safety minister could go further by introducing a civilian board of management or perhaps divide responsibility for the RCMP between a civilian commissioner and a uniformed chief, similar to the model used by the New York Police Department.