RCMP watchdog without senior leadership for months, stalling investigations

The watchdog body meant to investigate Mounties’ conduct has been without a chairperson for months, stalling investigations and weakening transparency about how the country’s police force interacts with Canadians across the country.

The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC) has for decades been the body overseeing the national police force. But it has been unable to issue decisions for nearly a year now.

It’s slated to be rolled into a new organization, the Public Complaints and Review Commission (PCRC), which will review claims against both RCMP and border officers. 

Parliament passed legislation creating that agency last Halloween. But the government still hasn’t given any indication when the PCRC will be up and running.

Further complicating matters, the CRCC's chair left the agency in January after her term was up and in the wake of a troubling internal report into the commission's “toxic workplace.” Other senior roles, including vice-chairperson, are also vacant according to the CRCC’s website. 

While teams of investigators and lawyers are still working, a spokesperson for the CRCC said the review body is unable to issue any decisions in the absence of a chair or other senior decision-makers.

As of Oct. 21, the CRCC said it had 235 review and investigation files awaiting a decision. 

“Justice delayed is justice denied and that applies here,” said Tom Engel, a lawyer and chair of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association's policing committee.

He’s spent years advocating for changes to the process meant to keep RCMP members accountable and has helped clients file complaints to the CRCC. 

“I imagine a lot of people just throw up, throw their hands up in the air and figure, well, what can I do?” he said of the delays.

“It basically undermines confidence in the RCMP accountability system.” 

The reviews in the logjam are on par with the number of reports the CRCC has released annually. During the last fiscal year, it issued 203 reports.

In 2023-24, the CRCC issued 246 review reports, with 381 findings and 184 recommendations. In the name of transparency, the watchdog makes depersonalized summaries of those findings public.

While most reports are triggered by complaints from the public, the chairperson can also initiate reviews.