Thank you, Madam Chair, and good afternoon to members of the committee.
My name is Jolene Bradley. I'm currently the director general of communications at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police here in Ottawa. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today on my role during the largest mass shooting incident in our country's history. It was a very difficult time. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families and friends of loved ones who have been left behind trying to heal.
In April 2020, I was the RCMP's director of strategic communications for the operations team at the national headquarters in Ottawa. I provided strategic communication advice and support to the communications team in Nova Scotia in the days and weeks following the shootings. As part of the ongoing and routine collaboration between the national headquarters and our colleagues in Nova Scotia, our support included reviewing speaking notes and messaging for media. My goal was to assist our colleagues in Nova Scotia during this significant event.
Our support from Ottawa consisted of coordinating translation and assisting with the creation of visuals for press conferences. I was also responsible for ensuring that communications products, such as talking points and media lines, were shared with communications colleagues at Public Safety Canada and with the RCMP's analyst at the Privy Council Office. This is standard operating procedure with our communications colleagues from both organizations.
To be clear, documents shared with Public Safety and PCO were final communication products, such as speaking notes intended for delivery by RCMP spokespeople during press conferences. Operational information is never shared through communication channels. I also want to emphasize that material is shared for informational purposes only, not for comment or input as it relates to an ongoing investigation. The lines are clear and reinforced through years of collective experiences.
I have worked for the RCMP for 23 years in various communications positions. Managing communications and public affairs around the shootings was difficult and very demanding. I would like to commend the RCMP team in Nova Scotia for their steadfast commitment to the organization and desire to share as much information with the public as possible at the time. We are lucky to have such talent in Nova Scotia, and quite frankly in all communication shops across the country, supporting the RCMP on a daily basis.
Thank you.