Retired B.C. Mountie Rae Banwarie says the RCMP has been plagued by internal and external politics for decades, and recent controversies over Commissioner Brenda Lucki are only one indication..The scandal emerged following the publication of handwritten notes taken by RCMP Superintendent Darren Campbell following an April 28, 2020 conference call with Lucki. According to Campbell, Lucki said she had promised then-Public Safety minister Bill Blair the RCMP would release information about weapons used in the mass shooting in Nova Scotia, and “this was tied to pending gun control legislation.”.Banwarie, whose 20 years as an RCMP officer ended in 2017, has scathing criticism for Lucki..“Its control and it's disgusting. You should not be in the role of commissioner. You need to be out the door, outside. You have no place in the organization. You have no place in policing. You are a disgrace to the noble profession of policing,” Banwarie said..“I've long maintained the commissioner of the RCMP is a deputy minister, serving at the pleasure of whichever political party is in power.”.Banwarie, who formerly led the Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada which represents RCMP members, suggests the Liberals benefited from RCMP inaction in previous scandals..“Was there any investigation of the SNC Lavalin situation? Was there an investigation into the WE Charity situation? You dig into that and tell me what you've come up with. Those are clear indicators right there of how it's being controlled.”.Media Relations at the RCMP National Division responded to an email query from this author regarding SNC Lavalin and WE Charity..“We are aware of the perception of bias associated with our dual mandates of protecting Canadian dignitaries as well as our investigative mandate with respect to politically sensitive matters. However, please rest assured that the RCMP’s operations are entirely independent and completely free from any government influence,” the RCMP response read..“The RCMP continues to examine these matters carefully with all available information and will take appropriate actions as required.”.But Banwarie says the government of the day will “dictate and control” the RCMP until structural changes are made..“First of all, you create an independent parliamentary committee comprised of equal numbers of the party that's in government, and the opposition, and one independent. That is who and where the commissioner of the RCMP reports to,” Banwarie suggested..“Until we get there, it's never going to change because whichever party is in power does not want to give up control of the national police force.”.Banwarie said his involvement in a lawsuit against the force left him insecure about his job and led to his retirement..“Under the old process, they could not get rid of members if they had a harassment complaint... They had to keep them on the payroll and make sure that the issue was dealt with before they could get rid of them,” Banwarie said..“They amended the [Enhancing the RCMP Accountability] act to say they can do that now. So yeah, you can continue to grievance or whatever, but you won't be getting a paycheck… If you see or do anything against the force, they're coming. They're coming, and they're gunning for your job, and they're gonna fire you.”.Freed from worries over his place in the force, Banwarie says he continues to help members..“Why I joined the RCMP is to make a difference and to do the right thing, and to defend those who cannot defend themselves and to protect them. And although I've retired, I still have members, even as recent as today, reaching out to me asking for help. I will not turn my back on them because this work is not done. It's not done by a long shot,” Banwarie said..“I'm a person that's operates with integrity, and will not be swayed by political bullshit because that's all it is. Our people are first, always first, because without it you have nothing. They're the backbone.”.Early in his police career, Banwarie joined an RCMP criminal crash investigation team on Vancouver Island. He even built a race car to build bridges with the community and establish a platform to speak to youth about speeding. Although he later became a watch commander, he believes the force’s highest ranks are taken by those willing to play the political game..“This is a quagmire that the RCMP is in and has been for years; you have people coming up the ranks who don't have the ability or the intellect to be in those positions. They just get there because of their friends they know that promote them. People who should be leading and driving the ship never get to the top because they're not going to allow their integrity to be compromised for political reasons,” Banwarie said..“The members who have integrity and who have ethics are leaving because they cannot stand idly by and be part of an organization that is failing them and failing their comrades and failing the Canadian public. I wrote a letter when I left them, a resignation letter and I identified all of the issues that I said were going to happen and sadly are happening now.”.Banwarie, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, ran for MP under the New Democratic Party banner in 2019. Conservative Tamara Jansen won the B.C. riding of Cloverdale–Langley with 37.7% of the vote, while Banwarie finished third with 18.9%..“I know how the game is played. And when I speak, I speak truth to power. I say things exactly the way they are. And I think that's what people like to hear. They like to know that the people that you're dealing with are honest, and have integrity, and will go the distance and not be compromised,” Banwarie said..“If Trudeau came to me tomorrow and said to me, we need somebody like you to change to how this organization operates, I would put my hand up and I would do the job. Give me five years, one term, and you will see change like you've never seen before in the RCMP.”
