While the official motto of the RCMP is Maintiens le Droit — uphold the right — there’s also an unofficial ethos: Don’t tarnish the buffalo.
The “buffalo” refers to the buffalo head badge, which originated with the North-West Mounted Police in the 19th century, and that RCMP officers have proudly worn throughout the organization’s vaunted history.
Now, the buffalo is facing a reckoning. As the Star’s recent series on our iconic federal police service detailed, the badge is badly tarnished, with the RCMP beset by all manner of dysfunction, a hostile work environment and numerous cases of racial and ethnic discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Attempts to rehabilitate the beleaguered service have, to put it mildly, been less than successful. It’s a classic case of one step forward, two steps back: Every few years, a new commissioner arrives with a long list of things to accomplish, and then leaves his or her successor with an even longer one.
The failure to effect successful reform is likely a product of multiple factors, including structural issues and failures of leadership. But it also stems from the fact that the RCMP is expected to be all things to all people: Unlike many other federal police services, whose duties are limited to national issues like organized crime, border security and terrorism, the RCMP also provides local policing to about 70 per cent of Canadian territory.
Although an RCMP union survey found 76 per cent of people in communities served by the RCMP are at least somewhat satisfied with the service, the Western provinces have increasingly issued calls to replace it with a provincial force like the Ontario Provincial Police, or, in larger cities, with municipal police services.
Local and provincial police officers are, after all, more likely to have deep roots in their communities, and to forge further connections, than their national counterparts. RCMP officers know that their assignments are essentially temporary as they move through the ranks, and many are therefore less likely to establish relationships in the community.
That’s particularly concerning for people in the vast, rural Indigenous jurisdictions that have experienced an increase in both property and violent crime while crime decreased in the rest of the country.
Moreover, wait times for a police response can stretch to an hour or more on Indigenous lands since the Mounties are typically posted miles away. It is, therefore, imperative that Indigenous police assume a central role in Indigenous communities — and that Ottawa recognize them as essential services and fund them appropriately.
Not all communities will benefit from replacing the RCMP with local police, however. In contrast to the consistent, uniform services delivered by the Mounties, the services and procedures - and possibly, the competence — of local and provincial police will likely vary significantly from locale to locale.
Furthermore, according to estimates, dropping the Mounties could prove more expensive to the provinces than keeping them. Any decisions about replacing the RCMP in the Western provinces must consequently take place after consultation with the leaders and members of the affected communities.
Similarly, the Mounties need to consult with their own members and support staff if they’re ever to eliminate the rampant sexism and racism in the organization. Many victims of harassment and discrimination have watched their careers crumble while perpetrators faced few consequences.
As a result, critics have for years been clamouring for the development of an independent commission with the authority to address disciplinary measures. Bill C-20, which recently passed second reading, will do just that by establishing an independent Public Complaints and Review Commission.
The commission will be authorized to recommend disciplinary measures, and while the Mounties won’t be required to follow the recommendation, they will have to justify their actions to the public safety minister. The bill will also require the RCMP to report annually to the commission on its progress in fulfilling the recommendations.
The commission won’t, of course, magically eliminate all sexism and racism in the RCMP. But it could well signal the start of a new era, one where wrongdoers are punished rather than protected, where dignity and respect discrimination. It’s therefore incumbent on Ottawa to pass Bill C-20 without delay.
And it’s incumbent on the RCMP to conduct a thorough rethinking and reevaluation of how it delivers policing, and to do so together with the people it serves. Only then will the buffalo have a new lease on life, and only then will the Mounties truly uphold the right.
