On February 21, Chief Bevan made a comment that I found very interesting:
What persuaded the Crown was that there was no evidence that any money had gone from any of the pension funds or insurance system into any individual's pocket, which is a determining factor for the misappropriation of funds.
The truth of the matter is that the investigation was shut down prematurely, preventing the investigators from being able to link the numerous gains, promotions, performance pay, hiring of relatives, kickbacks, and prospects of future consulting work to the abusers of the pension fund.
Even under these circumstances, 21 individuals were highlighted as having committed possible code of conduct offences. Yet not one of them was held accountable for their actions. In fact, a number of employees were promoted immediately following the conclusion of the investigation.
Mr. Paul Gauvin tabled a document this past year to senior executives in the force in which he stated that when managers abuse their responsibilities, they should suffer personal and professional consequences, including disciplinary action, the removal of delegated authority, negative annual performance ratings, and/or removal from position or the loss of employment.
I do not know about you folks, but I find this deceptive and hypocritical, when you consider that he was the deputy commissioner of finance during the whole affair.
As the deputy commissioner of corporate management and comptrollership, a member of our pension advisory committee, and a member of our subcommittee on finance since 1999, Mr. Paul Gauvin was very familiar with the outsourcing project right from its inception. However, as Mr. John Williams said on February 1, 2007, at a committee meeting, “Everybody walks away....”
I quote the RCMP commissioner's 2007 directional statement:
Parliament and taxpayers expect government programs and services to be delivered in an ethical, open and accountable manner. As Canada's national police force we must hold ourselves to an even higher standard. The RCMP must be a model of ethical and responsible management behaviour. As a leader of policing and management excellence, the RCMP must continue to make sound stewardship a part of its culture.
I would like to bring my statement to a close by talking about the present commissioner. After her appearance here before you on February 21, 2007, Commissioner Busson reached out and gave me an opportunity to meet with her.
As a result of that conversation, we met as a group of five with the people who are here today, and she began trying to understand the events and actions that took place around this matter. Since that time she has taken an active interest in trying to determine the facts, and she has demonstrated to each of us that she is pursuing and will continue to pursue the truth.
I can assure you of two things. One is that if it were not for this committee's having carried out its role on February 21, we would not be here today; and two, that Commissioner Busson is a new leader who is letting her actions do the talking for her. If only it were June 2003.
Thank you.