Some former long-serving Mounties and a criminology professor are skeptical about the final report of the Mass Casualty Commission.. Lucki Trudeau .The report explained the policing failures that occurred during Gabriel Wortman’s 13-hour killing spree of 22 people and recommended systemic changes to the RCMP. It also exonerated Comm. Brenda Lucki of political interference, even though she expressed disappointment the firearms used in the killings weren’t revealed in a press conference..“Lucki’s audio-recorded remarks about the benefits to police of proposed firearms legislation were ill-timed and poorly expressed, but they were not partisan and they do not show there'd been attempted political interference. However, the April 28 meeting both reflected and contributed to the deterioration of the relationship between [Nova Scotia's] H Division and RCMP national headquarters after the mass casualty,” the report read..Retired Mountie Leland Keane disagrees..“To suggest there was no political interference in the response is a falsehood,” Keane told the Western Standard in written comments..“The use of this mass murder to push Liberal-NDP gun control while the victims were still warm is disgusting and an obvious political interference, and is possibly viewed by some as obstruction of a police officer in the Criminal Code of Canada under section 129.”.Keane said interference from Ottawa has been a “well-documented” problem since at least the mid-90s..“The largest political interference during my service was the removal of demonstrated merit in the promotion process in favour of a task analysis exercise to advance under-represented groups in promotion. The resulting catastrophe in human resources advanced less-qualified and unqualified personnel and risk-averse careerists.”.It was this very practice the MCC called for more of, advising more active recruitment from under-represented groups, and financially supporting them during training..A list of reports commissioned by the MCC itself included “The Health and Safety of Survival [sic] Sex Workers in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia, “The History of Gun Control in Canada,”, “Mass Shootings and Masculinity,” and “Conceptions of Masculinity and Violence Towards a Healthier Evolution of Men and Boys.”.Keane said the MCC’s findings were skewed by an ideological bent..“They seem to have wandered into political and nonsensical recommendations by academics in criminology and sociology concerned more with diversity, inclusion and equity rather addressing the obvious lack of manpower, relevant in-person critical incident training exercises, and lack of material support on the ground of actual police in the RCMP contract provinces,” Keane said..“Academics are not well-suited to devise police HR policies when they have never policed their communities. Heaving books at a terrorist like Wortman would have little effect.”.An understaffed, politicized RCMP.Keane believes the force’s “chronic and dangerous working conditions” were more relevant considerations. The Bible Hill detachment was short six active-duty members when the shootings took place. The report said the RCMP should live up to its contracts by ensuring positions are filled when members are on leave or away sick..The finding did not surprise Rob Creasser, whose 28 years with the Mounties in BC ended with his 2010 retirement..“The outfit is still severely under-resourced in terms of boots on the ground and although equipment has finally improved to deal with modern policing challenges, good police leadership is still lacking,” Creasser said in comments shared with the Western Standard..“Change needed to happen decades ago and the federal government did nothing. They have blood on their hands as a result.”.The MCC admitted some changes have been long in waiting..“Most important, the RCMP must undergo the fundamental change called for in so many previous reports,” read its report. Even so, the commission is also recommending yet another report before some changes are made. The MCC recommends the minister of Public Safety commission yet another external report on what the RCMP’s priorities should be for policing and if some of its current responsibilities should be handed off to new or other agencies..Creasser wonders when talk will finally become action..“How many reports, all gathering dust on some bookshelf somewhere, need to be written before the government acts? How many more members of the public are going to be hurt or killed before action is taken? How many more RCMP members are going to die?” Creasser asked..“I can only surmise the inaction by government somehow suits their purposes. The RCMP is a national icon they love to show off, but they don’t want to spend the money required to make it an effective policing agency. That’s been the case for years! They also want to control Canada’s national police force and have the policing agency assist them in their political agendas as was the case here, despite what the Mass Casualty Commissioners say.”.The report made 130 recommendations in more than 3,000 pages of documentation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will “take on many of the recommendations,” but Creasser is not consoled..“Ottawa has a lot to answer for and Prime Minister Trudeau’s statement that he will take time to digest the recommendations made in this report is a harbinger of bad news. This report is saying nothing new and does not significantly differ from the countless previous reports on the RCMP that are lining shelves somewhere gathering dust,” Creasser said..“There is no way on God’s green earth the commissioner of the RCMP should serve at the pleasure of the prime minister of Canada. That’s how things read right now in legislation. We don’t need politicians dictating how police operate. If you want strong oversight of the RCMP, something I wholeheartedly support, have a civilian oversight board made up of qualified candidates fulfill that task. Keep the politicians out of it!” Creasser said..On March 3, Trudeau said appointing an indigenous person as the next commissioner is an “excellent idea.” Larry Comeau, who retired from the RCMP in 2001, told the Western Standard a greater emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) distracted the force, and diminished its leadership at many levels..“With Trudeau saying the next RCMP commissioner will be selected again using his DIE policy, it will not lead to selecting the most important leader in RCMP’s once storied history. Over the past eight years the RCMP’s priority has been becoming woke to appease its political master, rather than concentrating on upgrading its overall policing approach,” Comeau said..“Like all serving and retired RCMP members, I find this inquiry finding a very sad day for the RCMP and Canadians.”.Bye-bye Regina training depot, hello university programs.The report recommended the RCMP phase out its training depot in Regina, then “consult with the Métis and Saskatchewan Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations with respect to how the land and the facility should be used in the future.”.Another recommendation was “Public Safety Canada work with provinces and territories to establish a three-year, degree-based model of police education for all police services in Canada.”.Darryl Davies, a professor of criminology at Carleton University, said he has long told his students policing should require a university degree..“It wasn't that radical, because even the Ontario Municipal Association came out with a report a few years ago saying before you even apply, you must have a Bachelor of Arts degree,” Davies said in an interview with the Western Standard..“But I found it incredible they were talking about implementing this in 2032. I thought to myself, why are we waiting years? This is ridiculous. As Public Safety minister, I would put up the orders, my department has a year to produce the plan, with concrete dates, and deliverables. And then if those are not met, the people who have been responsible for ensuring this happens would be fired, I would get rid of them. And let everybody know, the holidays are over.”.In a 2010 report the RCMP commissioned him to make, Davies recommended that all RCMP officers be issued carbines and be trained in their usage. The MCC report found that some officers could not respond appropriately to April 2020 shooting because they had not been trained in the use of carbines..Davies said he predicted to a Global reporter the lockdown measures would lead to a mass shooting. He believes the government bears responsibility..“No one consulted with a criminologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, any of the major organizations before they went ahead and did this. And there will be a price to pay,” said Davies..The report acknowledged the pandemic triggered Wortman..“The perpetrator was deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the weeks before the mass casualty, his denture clinics had been required to close as part of the public health measures that were then in place. He and [his common-law partner] Ms. Banfield moved from their main residence in Dartmouth to the cottage in Portapique ... he became ‘agitated and paranoid’ and was not sleeping or eating much.”.The commission did not solicit a report on the psychological impact of lockdowns, but did receive one on gender-based violence and its links to mass casualty attacks..“Gender-based violence is an epidemic in Nova Scotia and in all of Canada, as it is in most parts of the world. The United Nations has been calling it a global pandemic for years. Violence against women and girls is also endemic in Canada and ‘in all societies,’” the commission wrote.
