Sask. politicians united in opposition to recommendation that RCMP change training model
Regina sees economic benefits, cultural and historic pride in hosting Depot, provincial politicians say
The inquiry into the 2020 killing of 22 people in Nova Scotia has released a blistering report denouncing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's conduct, and it may have implications for Saskatchewan.
For nearly 140 years, all prospective members of the RCMP have been required to go through six months of training at Depot in Regina.
One of the recommendations in the more-than-3,000-page report released on Thursday is that the Mounties should phase out that model by 2032. The commission recommends replacing it with a three-year degree-based education model for all police services in Canada.
The commission proposes that campuses should be spread throughout nation, with at least one located in the Atlantic region and one in northern Canada.
It would be a significant departure from tradition, and one that was not warmly received by the provincial government and Saskatchewan's Opposition on Thursday.
"You know we've been a very strong supporter not only of Depot here in Regina, but the RCMP in general in adding officers into our communities across the province," said Premier Scott Moe.
Moe added that he would like to review the report, which had just been released at the time of the comments, before responding to its recommendations further.
Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck said any potential change was "deeply concerning," not just as an MLA for Regina, but as someone who is very proud of the "tradition of the RCMP in this province."
"This is a big deal and those jobs, that tradition, matters to the city, matters to this province," she said. "I would like to see all levels of government work together to express those concerns and look for solutions to not lose Depot here from Regina."
Why is change necessary?
The fifth volume of the Mass Casualty Commission's (MCC) report examines the issues found in policing during its research and interviews about the mass killing, as well as a wealth of previous reports and studies.
It concluded that the RCMP's approach to recruiting and training produces a cultural aversion to improving itself through new ideas and critical thought.
"The Depot model of police training is inadequate to prepare RCMP members for the complex demands of contemporary policing," the report reads.
The report found the training at Depot is meant to break a candidate down and rebuild them in the mould of an RCMP officer.
While that may be part of an effort to instill a unified morale, the report concludes it may actually be creating a toxic culture and environment, according to a multitude of previous reports and studies.
Leanne Fitch, one of the commissioners of the MCC and a former chief of the Fredericton Police Force, took aim at Depot's six-month model, which can trace its origins back to the 1800s.
"It is insufficient in this day and age, and our politicians, our police leaders, our communities have to demand more. We have to set people up to be able to learn more, learn from past mistakes," she said.
The MCC report recommends Public Safety Canada work with provinces and territories to establish a three-year degree-based model, similar to what has found success in Finland since it was adopted in 2008.
The model, which requires all police in the country to be educated and trained at the Finish Police University College, is research-based and ensures that students are educated in theoretical and practical aspects of policing.
The model also allows the university to be extremely careful in who it selects, as it conducts psychological tests and interviews before admitting students.
The three-year course also allows instructors to assess candidates' suitability before they ever work in a community as an officer.
The model has resulted in Finnish citizens having among the highest trust in their police of any country in the world, the report reads.
Any new model should be accessible and culturally responsive to "women, Indigenous students, and other groups that have historically been underrepresented in and underserved by police in Canada," the report says.
RCMP to review recommendations
There's no indication that RCMP will implement the wide-ranging recommendations in the report.
The MCC highlighted that recommendations from previous reports on how to change RCMP culture and training have not been implemented.
On Thursday, interim RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said he had not personally read the report's recommendations, but that there is a team working on an action plan to go forward.
"I think just saying shutting down Depot without having the proper analysis from the RCMP and other people, I think we have to have a deeper dive, if you wish, in the recommendations, to have better understanding [of], what did the Commissioners meant by that?" he said.
The National Police Federation, which represents almost 20,000 RCMP officers across the country, did not directly reply when asked about the recommendation to change the depot model of training.
Instead, it pointed CBC to a news release responding to the Mass Casualty Commission's final report.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
