Quite frankly, in the spring of 2001 I questioned our behaviour with respect to the acceptance of gifts such as hockey and rounds of golf. That came about after a meeting with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police at which we talked about the ethical behaviour of police forces and the fact that we should not be participating in same.
I took that information and shared it with my own senior management team upon returning. I said that until we get this matter resolved, we've got to get a little more clear direction as to policies surrounding that issue. I then shared that information and talked to our ethics advisor in June, who advised me that I was correct. He provided me with some information, and he told me that there is no grey area, and such behaviour should not be accepted.
I shared that information with a number of senior managers within Ottawa. The first email I got back was from my boss's office, telling me to clean out my office. The second email I got was from another senior executive officer, commending me for trying to bring this matter to a resolution.
Having done that, I met several individuals who came to me and talked about their concerns around sole sourcing of contracts and also the continuance of the behaviour. I reiterated my concerns around that behaviour. I went to the Treasury Board and public works and ethics policy with respect to acceptance of gifts such as golf and other aspects.
Again I reaffirmed to myself that this was inappropriate behaviour. It was not necessarily that anybody was being coerced, but the fact of the matter was it was the perception of us participating in such event. I brought the matter to my boss of the day. He told me that in his previous life under Andy Scott—as an advisor to Andy Scott and the Solicitor General's office—he had it under direct authority from the Treasury Board ethics advisor that such participation was permissible, and it's no wonder the RCMP is stuck in the dark ages.
However, I took it upon myself to again issue another email to all senior managers, including my employees, not to participate in same. Having said that, I had brought to my attention the following week that people were going to continue such behaviour. That following Monday, as we had usual Monday morning meetings, I informed the management team that I was no longer accepting anybody's behaviour; if they continued, I would initiate a code of conduct investigation myself. I was overruled by my then supervisor, who said he saw nothing wrong with such behaviour.
Having said that, with all due respect, I did go see Chief Superintendent Barb George, who is a very compassionate person. I explained my situation, and she understood. I said, “Look, I've come forward. I'm going to be in trouble.” Then you saw the letter that Ron Lewis refers to, in which I was chastised for attempting to correct such behaviour without going through my immediate supervisor.
I then left on language training in September 2001. Ron Lewis and the group took this information before the national executive committee, which was co-chaired by Jim Ewanovich and Commissioner Zaccardelli. Between the two of them, they said it was a round of golf and a hockey game, and to get over it. I thought at that time that I had corrected the behaviour in the force.
In terms of whistle-blowing, I would say that a whistle-blower is someone who blows the whistle for the troops to go out of the trenches into the line of fire. In my terms, I blew the whistle; I jumped out of the trenches to keep my people and their careers intact, so they would no longer continue in such behaviour.
However, I would say that by October I was brought in by the OPP. They wanted to discuss this and other sole-sourcing contracts. I was fully transparent with them. I discussed everything that was brought forward to me. They commended me for my ethical behaviour and the fact that my integrity was not for sale.
However, shortly thereafter I was told that I was being held personally accountable for the OPP investigation and the follow-up. By December, I was eliminated from the senior management team of the RCMP. I was also told I could no longer go back to my position as the senior full-time financial officer.
You'll have to excuse me here.
In the following year I was accused of fraudulent leave, unauthorized travel, being incompetent for my job. I received no performance pay and I was effectively fired.
By May 2002 I was offered a position leading a project in the force, which was a staff sergeant's duty call, where I stayed until February 2005. So is there punitive? Yes.
When Mike Frizzell came to see me at the beginning of the pension investigation, I warned him that if they could do this to an assistant commissioner with an unblemished record for 29 years, they could do it to anybody.
But I'm still here; I'm in front of you. My integrity is not for sale. I represent 99.99% of the officers in this organization, including those in headquarters. Our civilian members are excellent people. We have the best and brightest in technical operations.
We have a handful of people who need to be dealt with, there's no doubt about that.
But to respond to your question, that is how I was treated for the last four years.