An Ottawa criminologist says questions about whether political pressure was put on the RCMP commissioner in the Nova Scotia shooting investigation illustrate why Brenda Luke should not report to the Secretary of Public Safety.
A parliamentary committee called Lucky, former Secretary of Public Safety Bill Blair and several other RCMP witnesses to explain what happened during a phone call on April 28, 2020, during which Lucky was allegedly said she had promised federal officials to publish information on the type of weapons used in the shooting.
According to handwritten notes from Supt. Darren Campbell, who was in charge of investigating the shooting that killed 22 people, Lucky said it had to do with upcoming liberal gun control legislation.
Campbell chose not to release anything about the weapons, saying it could jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
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To date, no one has been charged with gun-related crimes in the case, and it was revealed early that the attacker obtained all the weapons illegally by transporting most of the United States.
Lucky, the Prime Minister’s Office and Blair have denied any political interference in the RCMP investigation.
Criminologist Daryl Davis said that if the commissioner reported to parliament rather than the public safety minister, that would not be a problem.
“It is crystal clear that the RCMP is an autonomous, independent organization and that decision-making will be made without undue influence from politicians,” he said.
1:45 Bill Blair irritated over possible interference in RCMP investigation into mass shooting in Nova Scotia Bill Blair threatened with possible interference in RCMP investigation into mass shooting in Nova Scotia
The RCMP Act states that the Commissioner is appointed by the Minister and “under the authority of the Minister has control and management of the forces and all matters relating to force”.
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Another criminologist disagrees that parliamentary accountability is the answer.
Rob Gordon, who teaches at Simon Fraser University, said the forces needed proper non-political civilian oversight, but for that to be effective, he said a review of their mandate was needed first.
“It’s trying to be too much for too many people,” he said, noting that the federal police force in the United States and the United Kingdom, for example, is not charged with contract policing in rural and remote areas.
Reports have called for this type of structural reform over the years, but no government has taken action, Gordon said.
“Unfortunately, we were cursed with a Canadian icon and no one wants to break it,” he said.
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Faced with repeated questions from the opposition on Thursday about whether he believed Campbell’s version of events at the April 28, 2020 meeting, Emergency Preparation Secretary Bill Blair said: “I am never and will not criticize an active member of the RCMP.
Gordon called the statement “irresponsible and frustrating fraud,” while Davis said it showed governments continuing to defend the RCMP instead of trying to correct it.
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“This is an institution that is in crisis and has been out of order for many years,” he said.
Recent evidence during the public homicide investigation focuses on how the RCMP concealed information during and after the killings.
While Lucky and the national headquarters were ready to publish a list of the names of the victims, the RCMP of Nova Scotia did not release this information.
In his initial press conference, when reporters asked about the number of victims, the chief lieutenant. Chris Leder said he was “over 10”. Documents released during the investigation show that Leder knew there were at least 17 dead.
Hours later, Lucky gave two separate media interviews in which he said the death toll was 13 and then 17.
By 11 pm on April 19, 2020, the RCMP concluded that up to 22 people had been killed, but did not disclose the final number until two days later.
Davis said this shows the need for better policies, training and operational procedures that “either do not exist or fall apart”.
“We know that some of the employees on site who respond to both media requests for information and families and so on, some of them have had absolutely zero training in this area,” he said.
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Investigation hearings will resume on Tuesday.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
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