Conflicting announcements from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have put Canadians in a whirlwind of confusion..On June 19, Democracy Watch released the results of an access to information request to the RCMP regarding its investigation of the Liberal cabinet’s handling of the prosecution of charges against SNC Lavalin..On May 25, 2023, the RCMP sent the organization’s co-founder, Duff Conacher, a response to the he made July 27, 2022. As Western Standard reported, the RCMP said 86 of the 96 pages of the response were redacted because “the matter is currently under investigation.”.Later that day, the RCMP made a tweet and media release to say the investigation was already over, as the Western Standard reported June 20..Wednesday, RCMP media relations officer Marie-Eve Breton formally responded from Ottawa to an inquiry from this publication. .“In a May 2023 Access to Information (ATI) release, the RCMP informed a requester that records they were seeking were exempt from release as the matter was under investigation. This information was incorrect, and based on the information available to the ATIP Branch at that time..“As previously stated, the RCMP is not investigating allegations of political interference in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion to secure a remediation agreement for SNC-Lavalin. The RCMP’s Sensitive and International Investigations unit had conducted an assessment pertaining to these allegations and determined there was insufficient evidence to substantiate a criminal offence and the file was concluded by January 2023.”.This suggests the person who began the ATI request was never told the investigation ended in the five months between when they began the request and when the letter was sent. .The RCMP reply also suggested they may release the redacted pages..“The RCMP will undertake a new review of the records, and, following necessary consultations, will provide a new release package to the requester within 90 days.”.In an email to Western Standard, Duff Conacher said he has asked that the information be disclosed more quickly..“I emailed the person the May 25th letter said to contact — Rita Lattanzi-Thomas — and requested that she send me the 86 pages within a few days,” Conacher said..If the RCMP takes 90 days to reply, as allowed by law, Canadians will have waited eight months longer than a full disclosure in January 2023 would have allowed for a request made in July of the previous year.
