Good morning, Mr. Chair, and thank you for having us.
My name is Brian Sauvé. I'm the president of the National Police Federation, the certified bargaining agent for members of the RCMP.
Civilian oversight of law enforcement is essential for ensuring public trust and confidence. With nearly 20,000 members of the RCMP handling over three million documents and interactions each year, complaints can be expected. An independent, timely and transparent complaints process is essential.
To that end, the NPF believes that Bill C-20 presents the government with an opportunity to improve oversight and complaints processes across the RCMP and the CBSA. Bill C-20 offers an opportunity to address the issue of the police investigating the police and to make the PCRC a fully independent public complaints body. Amending this bill would meet the government's numerous and consistent mandate commitments and address the public interest in increased civilian oversight and transparency of law enforcement.
To that end, the NPF is making the following three recommendations.
First, the PCRC should end the practice of the police investigating the police. Under the current CRCC model, members of the RCMP are tasked with investigating most of the public complaints filed. It has been noted many times that our members handle these investigations of their colleagues in a professional and impartial manner. However, this does create a perception of bias and possible conflict of interest.
Independent civilian oversight of law enforcement is a critical component of bolstering public and member trust, which the NPF supports. The current system is not fully independent and does not serve to reinforce the government's intent to build public trust in oversight of law enforcement. While there are many advantages to having the police investigating the police, many provincial public complaints bodies have utilized a hybrid investigative model. This model includes the involvement of civilian investigators in the investigative process, with some reliance on experienced police investigators, either retired or serving.
Second, the PCRC should be appropriately resourced to conduct its own investigations, having the authority to make independent decisions and recommendations that are not politically motivated. Currently, the CRCC receives an average of 3,500 public complaints per year. However, most are not investigated, as they are deemed frivolous, vexatious or out of time. Estimating an average of 1,500 files per year that require a 40-hour investigation each, we're talking about approximately 60,000 work hours taken from communities in which our members could be engaging in core policing duties. That equates to about 30 full-time RCMP officers. Unfortunately, there is no cost-recovery mechanism for those communities to regain those hours.
Bill C-20 should be amended to allow the PCRC to conduct its own investigations, using and hiring its own investigators, and stop the downloading onto other resources. Failing this, if members of the RCMP are to continue to conduct investigations, there must be a cost-recovery mechanism established to compensate for the countless hours and overtime that our members are spending on public complaints investigations that take them away from their core policing duties. This is particularly harmful in smaller detachment areas, where all resources are vital to daily operations.
Third, the PCRC, with the addition of the CBSA, needs an increase in funding and staff. The CBSA will create an influx of new complaints, and more resources will be needed to keep pace. The estimated increase in public complaints further emphasizes the need for the PCRC to be established as a truly independent body that is effectively resourced to complete investigations through the hiring of its own investigators, similar to provincial public complaint bodies.
To be effective, the government must enact changes to Bill C-20 to address concerns about transparent, fair and timely investigations while also ensuring that the public interest is being met. These changes must strengthen the ability of the PCRC to be fully independent to conduct evidence-based investigations away from any political agenda of the day, while ensuring it is fully resourced to act and conduct its own investigations.
Thank you. I am subject to any questions.