The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association announced today that it is boycotting the RCMP public complaints process where civil remedies in court or other agencies are available. After many years of assisting complainants and launching its own complaints, the BCCLA has concluded that the process is fundamentally flawed and does not work:
- · The RCMP has failed with its internal investigations. It does not impartially and adequately investigate public complaints and provide a full and proper accounting of its actions. Recent revelations about the response of RCMP management in the aftermath of the Djiekanski taser-related death show misplaced priorities. Earlier complaints by the Auditor General about a lack of management controls reinforces those concerns.
- · Paul Kennedy, Chair of the Commission for Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC), has failed to provide the kind of fair, timely, thorough and independent civilian oversight of the RCMP when complaints are made, including when he makes his own complaints. His dismissal of the complaints into the Income Trusts Scandal from the last federal election, without having interviewed any senior RCMP officials, shows that.
- · The RCMP Act is seriously flawed and outdated. It needs immediate reform. More accountability of public officials was provided for in the Federal Accountability Act in the wake of the Adscam Scandal. There is a pressing need for reform of the RCMP Act for complaints and investigations.
BCCLA President Robert Holmes: “The RCMP website states that “Accountability” is one of their “core values”. The public wants to believe in that. But public confidence can only be restored by an effective civilian oversight process where complaints about RCMP conduct and administration are dealt with in a timely, thorough and open manner. Given the RCMP’s commitment to “open and honest communication” with the communities they serve, there should be no objection to that. Our letter to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, the Minister responsible for the RCMP, which has been copied to all political party leaders, calls for assurances that there will be quick action to address the need for legislative reform.”
Read a copy of the BCCLA’s letter to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day here>>
