Evidence of meeting #52 for Public Safety and National Security in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was rcmp.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:20 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
It's impossible to know what people's motivations are.
4:20 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
It's a very dramatic shift, and there are two explanations. I can't tell you which is the more accurate. One can be decreasing confidence in the ability of the RCMP to investigate its own members. The other is that the CPC was a very new organization at that time. I think it's better known now. It's now pretty well understood by the public, and supported, that there is a body providing civilian review and oversight.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Okay.
Now, did I misunderstand, or are you suggesting that the RCMP has no service standards?
4:25 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
I'm not saying they have no service standards, but they don't have service standards insofar as dealing with public complaints is concerned.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Okay, because the RCMP has 16 very clearly defined service standards, but they may be in different areas.
4:25 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
They have service standards, but....
I'm going to let Mr. Evans deal with the details there.
4:25 p.m.
Senior Director, Operations, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
I think you've said it: there are none when it applies to the process of public complaints. There are several parts in the process that belong to the CPC and several parts that belong to the RCMP. The service standards that the CPC imposes, which Mr. McPhail spoke about, are self-imposed. This is something that was done at the commission of its own volition.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
With Bill C-42, which is going to hopefully streamline that process, do you see that turning into written and sort of laid-down service standards for the RCMP in this area?
4:25 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
It's not necessary that it take place in Bill C-42. It could take place by regulation, by ministerial direction, or by the RCMP adopting service standards in terms of dealing with public complaints. All we're saying is, they should be in place.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Okay.
Now, you talked about your investigators having knowledge of what they're looking for, so it's hard to hide stuff that somebody might want to hide. You have 60 people? Did I understand that correctly?
4:25 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
That's correct.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
How many of those have policing experience—RCMP or otherwise?
4:25 p.m.
Senior Director, Operations, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
I think the complement of the commission is roughly 60 FTDs, or full-time equivalent persons. When you're talking about investigators, however, we do have an agreement; we have a standing offer that we put out, so we use external investigators for many of our investigations. Within that group, they're all former police officers.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
These are all private investigators...that kind of thing?
4:25 p.m.
Senior Director, Operations, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Yes.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Who hires those? Do you go to organizations? Do you go to individuals? Does the commission hire those? How do you find them?
4:25 p.m.
Senior Director, Operations, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
We follow government contracting rules.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Okay. That's standard.
Can you talk about any consultation that you had in the development or implementation of Bill C-42? Were you intimately involved in that?
4:25 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
I wouldn't say that we were intimately involved. As an independent agency, it's quite correct that there be some separation. That having been said, on operational matters as to how Bill C-42 would affect the workings of the commission, we were consulted, yes.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Did you offer up any advice based on experience in other areas that maybe you weren't specifically tasked to or...?
4:25 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
We've offered a considerable amount of advice over the past several years, the bulk of which, I'm pleased to say, has been adopted.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
That was going to be my next question. You're happy with the spirit of the consultation?
4:25 p.m.
Interim Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Yes, very much so.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
You listed off five areas that were important, one being more control over the complaint process. Are there enough measures there now or are there more measures you would like to see that aren't there?