'There's no justice,' says complainant as RCMP officer retires before misconduct hearing
CBC
A high-ranking RCMP officer has decided to retire rather than appear before a disciplinary hearing over a case of sexual misconduct involving a colleague, according to information obtained by Radio-Canada.
The staff sergeant was twice the age of the complainant, in her 20s at the time of the alleged events, which included flirtatious text messages and brief sexual encounters in 2022 and 2023.
By convening him to a conduct hearing last year, the RCMP was looking to formally dismiss the experienced police officer over an inappropriate relationship involving a power imbalance.
By retiring, the staff sergeant will avoid a disciplinary hearing that, if it had gone ahead, would have been disclosed within the organization and made public on the RCMP's website.
According to data obtained by Radio-Canada, 74 RCMP employees decided to retire after being called to appear before a conduct hearing between 2020 and 2024. These employees get to keep their pension, although the matter is noted on their human-resources file and can be shared with future employers as part of reference checks.
The woman who filed a complaint against the staff sergeant is disappointed with the outcome. She works for the RCMP as part of a federal part-time employment program for university students.
"There's no justice being made or done for [complainants] and their case is just swept under the rug because we're protecting officers who are doing bad things," she said in an interview.
To protect the identity of the complainant, Radio-Canada has decided not to reveal certain details about her or her former RCMP colleague.
The RCMP has long grappled with issues related to sexual harassment. In 2016, then commissioner Bob Paulson apologized to hundreds of victims of sexual harassment. The RCMP concluded its $125-million class-action settlement over harassment, discrimination and sexual abuse claims with more more than 2,300 people in 2020.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said sanctions have recently been toughened for some inappropriate behaviour, including relationships involving a superior in a position of authority.
"Anything to do with sexual assault, sexual harassment, inappropriate relationship within the organization or outside, it's not tolerated," he said in an interview. "The people who are abusive or don't respect the code of conduct, or more importantly the organization's ethics, I don't want them in the organization."
Duheme praised those who denounce unacceptable behaviour within the force, adding he hopes none will suffer backlash.
"I salute the courage of people who are coming forward," he said. "As the leader of the organization, I want to make sure that this person has all the support that they need to make sure that they are accompanied throughout this, because it's not an easy task."
The woman was in her early 20s, while the staff sergeant was in his 40s, when they met in the gym at an RCMP building in 2022.
More Albertans are waiting longer than clinically recommended for critical cardiac and cancer surgeries, sparking concern among health experts and calls for urgent action.
There have been four collisions involving transport trucks in northwestern Ontario in three days, prompting renewed calls for action to address ongoing safety concerns along Highway 11-17.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives will huddle behind closed doors at a policy convention this weekend as some Tories question the party’s direction after nearly eight years in power.
The father of a three-year-old girl that was killed after being struck by a vehicle in Cambridge in mid-December says recent charges laid to the driver bring little comfort and relief.
The start of kindergarten can be a time of excitement or anxiety for parents, guardians and children — and also for Prince Edward Island's education officials as they try to staff schools appropriately.
Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC)’s proposed hydro project is facing some backlash in Pangnirtung.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will take to the stage Friday for what could be one of the most important speeches of his political career as he tries to convince delegates at the party's Calgary convention to keep him in the job.
As his flight departed from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport en route to Kuwait via Istanbul, Canadian crypto fugitive Andean Medjedovic was unaware that his globe-trotting lifestyle would soon be halted.
One of the largest taxi companies in Toronto will be down to three wheelchair-accessible cabs by the end of March, as advocates and providers say the city is failing to support accessible taxi drivers.
As a deep freeze continues to envelop southwestern Ontario at the same time municipalities deal with a pressing shortage of road salt, there's a renewed focus on finding different ways to melt road ice.
Dave Lawson is a proud Canadian who has bumper stickers that say "Canada is not for sale." He's fed up with grocery products plastered with maple leaves and patriotic logos that turn out to be American imports.
The Town of Badger has issued an evacuation order for some residents as water levels on the Exploits River continue to rise.
The head of a national seniors' advocacy organization says protecting nursing home residents from sexual abuse is an important but challenging issue.