RCMP Investments to Implement Recommendations from Justice Bastarache

Date: Date the document is sent

Classification: Unclassified

Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes

Branch/Agency: RCMP

Issue:

To brief the Minister of Public Safety on investments made by the RCMP to implement recommendations outlined in Justice Bastarache’s report entitled “Broken Lives, Broken Dreams”.

Proposed Response:

Background:

Federal Budget:

The 2021-2022 Federal Budget provided the RCMP with $75 M over 5 years and $13.5 M ongoing to address systemic racism in the organization’s policies and practices.  Planned actions aim to rebuild trust with Black, Indigenous and racialized communities, modernizing the RCMP’s systems, policies and practices, and delivering culturally competent and adapted policing services.

Although these measures did not specifically seek to address gender-based violence in the workplace, they can have an indirect positive impact, as racism is an intersectional issue that can make individuals more susceptible.

EDI Strategy:

The Commissioner and senior RCMP leaders approved the RCMP’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy in December 2020.  It was subsequently launched on January 24th, 2021, and is currently being implemented across all RCMP Divisions and Business Lines.

The EDI Strategy identifies foundational changes the RCMP must make to modernize itself into an inclusive organization that values diversity and that focuses on making sure the dignity of all employees and members of the public are respected. It identifies changes to a number of key areas that are critical to the RCMP’s efforts to transform its culture. Moreover, the Strategy has clear and concrete action items focused on identifying and reducing workplace and service-delivery barriers, as well as racism and discrimination faced by equity-seeking groups in our society and within our ranks.

Below are some examples of EDI Strategy action items, which will help ensure the safety of women and members of the LGBTQ2 community within the ranks of the RCMP:

The EDI Strategy is an important document that exemplifies the RCMP’s commitment to tackle systemic racism and discrimination in the organization. 

Merlo-Davidson Class Action Final Settlement Agreement:

The Merlo/Davidson Class Action settlement concerns gender and sexual orientation-based harassment and discrimination of women RCMP employees in the workplace from 1974 to 2017.

In 2017, the Federal Court approved a settlement that established a confidential and independent Claims Process and compensation scheme overseen by former Supreme Court of Canada Justice, the Hon. Michel Bastarache, as Independent Assessor.

A total of 3,086 claims were filed. The Assessor determined that 2,304 claimants were entitled to compensation under the settlement agreement, for a total of $125.4 million in compensation awards. Two other Assessors were added to help with the volume of claims.

The terms of the Settlement Agreement provide for the Independent Assessor to “draft a report that will provide an overview of [his] observations and recommendations stemming from his work in assessing claims.”

The final report, Broken Dreams Broken Lives: The Devastating Effects of Sexual Harassment on Women in the RCMP, was publicly released on November 19, 2020.

The final report covered a 40-year period; however, the Assessor observes that the conduct reported persisted over time and his report speaks to the culture that currently exists.

The report sets out the treatment that claimants described to the three Assessors, including use of offensive language; discrimination in access to promotions and training; frequent incidents of sexual misconduct; and fear of reprisals if complaints were filed. LGBTQ2S women or women of Indigenous or racialized heritage were found to often be treated even more poorly. It also addresses the impact on the lives of the claimants and their families, including loss of mental health (sometimes including post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation), loss of family and connection, and personality changes. 

The report sets out 52 recommendations grouped as follows: systemic barriers; recruitment, training, recruit field training, postings, ongoing training, human resources and staffing, maternity and parental leave and employment flexibility, grievances and discipline, mental health, promotions, leadership, specialized teams, medical examination and civilian members and public service employees. Ultimately, the report indicates that “there are strong reasons to doubt that the RCMP has the capacity or the will to make the changes necessary to address the toxic aspects of its culture” and that “true change can only take hold in the RCMP if independent external pressure is brought to bear on it.”

RCMP Response

The response acknowledges that current efforts advanced under Vision 150, the RCMP’s plan for modernization and culture change, are aligned with the recommendations in the Independent Assessor's final report. Efforts to date include:

The RCMP response acknowledges the recommendations within the final report and commits to four key priority areas moving forward:

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