Achi news desk-
MILLBROOK –
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme released a strategy Wednesday outlining how the national police force will respond to the investigation into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia that claimed 22 lives.
Almost a year after the public inquiry released a final report that offered scathing criticism of the Mounties’ response to the shooting, Duheme said he can understand why Canadians remain skeptical of the RCMP’s commitment to change.
The investigation report found that the RCMP missed warning signs about the killer, including reports of domestic violence, possession of illegal firearms and frequent run-ins with the law. In addition, the investigation found that the Mounties did not promptly send warnings to the public until it was too late for some of the victims.
“This is the worst mass shooting Canada has ever seen,” Duheme told a news conference in Millbrook, N.S. “I’m sitting here in front of you, committed to saying, ‘Things are going to change.’ If we don’t change, then we’re going to lose the trust of the Canadian people. “
Millbrook is one of more than a dozen mostly rural communities the killer drove through during a 13-hour manhunt that began in Portapique, NS, on the night of April 18, 2020. Disguised as a Mountie and driving a car that look exactly like RCMP cruiser Gabriel Wortman fatally shot 13 people on the first night, and the next day killed nine more people, including a pregnant woman and an RCMP officer.
“I struggle with what they went through,” Duheme said Wednesday. “I can’t even imagine what they went through, losing loved ones in such a way. I’m sorry for what happened.”
In the new strategy document, Duheme admits that RCMP responses to previous external reviews “have not always been thorough.” In addition, he says that the organization has not been transparent about the work they have done to change.
“I want you to be able to trust the RCMP,” he told the news conference before listing a long list of steps the Mounties have taken since 2020 to improve public safety. “When I accepted the position of RCMP commissioner (almost a year ago), I knew we could change. You have my commitment we will continue on this path.”
Lawyer Sandra McCulloch, who represents most of the victims’ families, said clients she spoke to Wednesday were not impressed with the RCMP’s strategy.
“The (RCMP) takes responsibility for recommendations and change, but there’s a lot of vagueness and ambiguity in terms of the changes that have been made,” he said after the news conference.
The public inquiry, formally known as the Mass Casualty Commission, found widespread failures in the RCMP’s response to the mass shooting. Last March, it issued 130 non-binding recommendations to improve public safety, the majority of which apply in some form to the Mounties.
Duheme said 33 of those recommendations apply directly to the RCMP, and another 55 apply to the police force and its partners in the federal and provincial governments, as well as other police agencies.
The RCMP say they have already responded to two key recommendations that each had six-month deadlines – one dealing with critical incident response training and the other with management culture.
In terms of response to critical incidents, the three commissioners of the inquiry found that when the shooting began in Portapique, the Mounties were quick to disregard witness statements and were so poorly managed that officers were always one step behind the murderer
The RCMP has posted an online review of how they train frontline supervisors, saying they are following the study’s findings.
Regarding the RCMP’s selection of senior officers and staff, the final report of the 2015 task force investigation concluded that the RCMP’s management culture discouraged leaders from relaying bad news up the chain of command and from making decisions which can be criticized.
“We identified evidence in our proceedings that suggests this trend continues to operate today,” the investigation’s final report said.
The inquiry found that the RCMP’s management culture hindered organizational learning and accountability. He cited a long list of “unhealthy patterns,” including resistance to admitting errors; lack of resources for responding to criticism and resistance to acknowledging the existence of systemic sexism and racism within the ranks.
“The RCMP will not solve these problems until it is able to acknowledge the persistence of these problems within its management culture and address the tendency to resist acknowledging that errors have been made,” the 3,000 report said. the investigation page.
As a result, the commission of inquiry asked the RCMP to explain how they will change their criteria for selecting senior managers “to disrupt unhealthy aspects of the RCMP’s management culture.”
In an RCMP report posted online last fall, the Mounties said transforming its workplace culture was a priority. “Regarding leadership, while much work has been done, it is recognized that there are opportunities for improvement in a number of areas.” The force has also posted an extensive report online on how it selects, develops and promotes senior leaders.
Duheme and assistant commissioner Dennis Daley, commander of the Nova Scotia RCMP, highlighted several other changes announced earlier, including the expansion of RCMP emergency response teams and the introduction of Blue Force Tracking, which offers real-time GPS tracking for officers to managers. in the field.
The RCMP has also adopted the Alert Ready emergency warning system across Canada, improved radio communications in Nova Scotia and tightened rules on when officers can consume recreational drugs and alcohol.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on March 27, 2024.
