Minister of Public Safety, the Hon. Vic Toews, has introduced legislation to create an enhanced independent civilian review and complaints body for the RCMP.

This government is interested in ensuring the RCMP has the capacity to serve and protect our communities effectively. These changes build on work already underway to strengthen and modernize the RCMP through greater transparency and accountability.

The proposed amendments would serve to strengthen the review and complaints body. Those involved in investigating complaints would have greater access to RCMP information and enhanced investigative powers, such as the authority to summon, compel and enforce the appearance of persons and to give evidence and materials for all complaint investigations and hearings.

They would also be given the ability to conduct policy review, conduct joint investigations with other review bodies, share information with other police review bodies, and provide reports to provinces and territories that contract policing services from the RCMP.

A proposed “no wrong door” policy would allow citizens to file complaints with a number of bodies including the RCMP, the Commission, or a provincial or territorial police complaints body.

Complainants will also be given a greater role in the process whenever a complaint leads to disciplinary proceedings.

The RCMP is enlisted with the responsibility of serving and protecting the Canadian people. It is important that, when they are abusing their powers or not fulfilling their duties to the best of their ability, citizens have somewhere they can go where their complaints will be heard and investigated seriously.

These amendments will hopefully make Canadians feel safer and give them more confidence in the RCMP. They will also serve to encourage RCMP officers to follow the rules, knowing they will be investigated and held accountable if they do not.

This legislation would also put the RCMP’s interim policy for external investigations into law. This policy allows for independent review and investigation performed by a body not involved in the force, eliminating bias. It also aids the RCMP in its mission to become a stronger, more accountable and modern organization.

The aim of this legislation is to ensure increased transparency and accountability of investigations of incidents involving members of the RCMP. This organization has a very important role in Canadian security, and any changes made to strengthen accountability will go a long way in increasing our country’s safety.

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