The federal government has given RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki new marching orders to increase recruitment, review techniques for using the Muntarias force and call on agents to move quickly to withdraw weapons. fire of potentially dangerous situations of partner violence.
In a new letter of mandate sent by the Minister of Public Security, Marco Mendicino, on Friday morning, Mountie is asked to “accelerate the reform of the RCMP for the next two years”.
Mendicino told CBC News that new priorities are emerging amid a changing threat landscape.
“What are these disconcerting tendencies? I would say, first, the rise of ideological extremism that can lead to violence. Second, the current alarming trends around the rise of armed violence and, in relation to that, the rise of gender-based violence. ” He said.
“And therefore, publishing an updated mandate letter is about ensuring that there is the right approach and responsibility to meet those priorities when it comes to public safety.”
One of the main goals listed in the letter is to improve the recruitment of the RCMP “to better reflect the communities it serves, in particular indigenous and black communities”, and to recruit “more members with the skills needed to fight sophisticated crimes”. “.
According to RCMP’s own statistics, around 8.1% of regular members identified as indigenous in 2014. This dropped to 7% in 2021.
Mendicino said he has had “constructive talks” with Lucki about the need to increase those numbers.
“I think this goes directly to the core of the relationship between the RCMP and the communities they control, because if the RCMP reflects the diversity of that community they are working in, then it will foster, I think, a relationship that is based on confidence, in integrity, “he said.
Opportunity for ‘RCMP to lead’: Mendicino
The minister said that he believes that the mistrust that has been created between the RCMP and some indigenous communities can be overcome “but I think it will take a lot of work”.
“I think the work begins with a very tragic, difficult and painful recognition of the history around the role of the RCMP in residential schools,” he added.
One person reacts after a verdict of guilt was announced in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd in 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Morry Gash / The Associated Press)
The Minister also calls on Lucki to help develop new national standards on how agents should intervene in a crisis situation and to conduct an external review of de-escalation techniques.
As part of this effort, the government is calling on the RCMP to ban the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and collars.
News of the ban has already raised some concerns about limiting options for agents in high-stress situations.
The government’s request comes two years after the assassination of George Floyd in police custody in the United States. His death sparked mass protests against police brutality in North America.
“There is an opportunity for the RCMP to lead by creating a new set of national standards on the use of force,” Mendicino said.
He also said the RCMP “can show leadership” in “seeking to create and modernize policies to eliminate systemic racism and the inequalities that have seen the over-representation of racialized Canadians and Indigenous peoples within our justice system.”
The minister is asking people to move faster with guns
Mendicino also calls on Lucki’s agents to withdraw their firearms from potentially dangerous situations of partner violence.
“I believe it ensures that there is an appropriate focus on resources, in the RCMP and in local law enforcement, to respond quickly to reports where partner violence or gender-based violence plays a role. he has a gun, “he said. dit.
Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino said the new mandate letter is a way to keep the RCMP accountable. (Adrian Wyld / Canadian Press)
The letter also calls on Lucki to finish setting up the Independent Harassment Resolution Center. The center emerged in response to the RCMP’s internal sexual harassment crisis and is intended to act as an external body to deal with complaints.
The minister also commissioned the commissioner to work with indigenous communities to address the legacy of residential schools, among other things, by revealing documents and helping communities “seek justice at their own pace”.
Mendicino said Lucki’s success will be based on whether he meets the goals set out in the new letter.
“We will be able to track this progress, I think, very specifically, because the language itself is specific,” he said.
Lucki last received a letter of mandate from then-Public Security Minister Ralph Goodale in 2018. This letter focused primarily on reforming the RCMP culture and ensuring that members were protected from harassment and harassment. workplace violence.
“I would say that the RCMP has made progress, but we need to move forward with this progress and accelerate the actions that are being taken to reform the RCMP,” Mendicino said.
Other letters of mandate
The minister’s office also issued updated mandate letters to the heads of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Security Intelligence Service of Canada (CSIS) and the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). .
The letters instruct each agency to address a number of priorities. CBSA has been asked to:
- Create a body to review complaints and recommendations to maintain public confidence and combat systemic racism.
- Maintain the integrity of Canada’s borders in a compassionate manner in light of the ongoing pandemic.
- Continue to modernize Canada’s ports of entry.
- Addressing irregular migration by increasing the efficiency of asylum applications and the expulsion of people considered inadmissible in Canada.
The CSIS mandate letter instructs the intelligence agency to:
- Improve risk assessment and mitigation programs, including national security reviews in accordance with the Investment Act of Canada, to safeguard the country’s economic security and intellectual property.
- It works with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, post-secondary institutions and private industry to ensure that people and organizations working in sensitive fields are aware of threats to economic security.
- Ensure that Canada’s export control regime remains effective while hostile actors try to acquire sensitive Canadian goods and technologies.
- Help develop a national cybersecurity action plan.
And the CSC has been aimed at:
- Create a new position — Deputy Commissioner of Indigenous Corrections — to ensure accountability for Indigenous issues and address the over-representation of Indigenous offenders in the prison system.
- Improving access to post-secondary education and professional programming for criminals.
- Reduce the use of Structured Intervention Units for criminals with mental health problems by providing more mental health services.
- Expand the promotion, participation and endowment of resources for the mother-child program in facilities for women.