EDMONTON -- Critics, former employees and sexual harassment survivors are casting doubt on the RCMP鈥檚 new harassment resolution centre, set to launch Wednesday, saying that the group is too close to top leadership to be trusted.
The Independent Centre for Harassment Resolution (ICHR) will use external investigators 鈥渢o ensure it is trusted and unbiased鈥� in investigating claims of sexual misconduct and harassment within the force.
But there are already concerns surrounding the ICHR鈥檚 structure.
The executive director of the group was recruited and hired by the RCMP and will report to the force鈥檚 highest-ranking civilian officer. Additionally, some of the "external investigators" tasked with examining harassment, misconduct and sexual assault complaints are also former Mounties 鈥� a move critics say is nothing more than a stop-gap.
鈥淭hey can鈥檛 fix themselves. There鈥檚 so much hurt and corruption that it cannot be fixed internally,鈥� Shirley Heafey, former RCMP Public Complaints Commission chairperson, told CTV National news.
鈥淚t's just a stopgap measure. That鈥檚 all it is.鈥�
The implementation of the group comes after a scathing report released in November 2020 that detailed a 鈥渢oxic鈥� culture and tolerance of misogyny, racism, and homophobia amongst RCMP members and leaders.
The report, prepared by an independent assessor, former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Michel Bastarache, called for external help and an independent study of all aspects of the RCMP to identify and remove the systemic barriers that prevent women in particular from succeeding within the force, as well as an in-depth examination of the future of the RCMP as a federal policing organization.
But those who have suffered sexual harassment within the force say little has been done since the report was released and feel the structure of the ICHR will only sow further distrust.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a start, but if they don鈥檛 begin distancing themselves from it, I doubt anyone will have any faith in coming forward to them,鈥� Janet Merlo, a harassment survivor, told CTV National News.
鈥淚t鈥檚 that disconnect that we need to build back some trust in the system that鈥檚 long been lost.鈥�
Merlo endured years of sexual harassment when she was an RCMP officer, eventually leading to a successful class-action lawsuit against the force. She says she would like to see investigators vetted and hired by an external HR company, entirely separate from the RCMP, with no history of having worked for the force.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they appreciate the level of distrust and betrayal that the victims of this [feel],鈥� she said. 鈥淚f they were to hire some of the 3,200 women that have made claims in this process鈥� I think then other people would feel comfortable reaching out.鈥�
By hiring former Mounties, Merlo says the investigation process becomes a vicious cycle where everything comes back to the RCMP, ignoring the very crux of the issue.
鈥淚 have yet to hear from anyone as a result of our class action be investigated, charged, suspended, fired,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 heard of anybody. Yet, I hear from people within the force all the time who are still fighting battles.鈥�
While both the federal government and RCMP have admitted that 鈥渁 lot of work鈥� is needed to address the systemic problems within Canada鈥檚 national police force, Heafey says the feds play an equally important role in the issue.
鈥淭his has gone on for years and years. Our federal government supports the RCMP. They鈥檝e paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to the women, and some men, to make them go away,鈥� Heafey said, calling on the Liberal government to set up a harassment resolution centre entirely separate from the RCMP.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an insidious, poisonous environment.鈥�
Heafey says her life became a 鈥渘ightmare鈥� for the 10 years she worked in the public complaints department because of the work environment within the RCMP.
鈥淚 wish I could say something different鈥� the dysfunction, the lies, the obfuscation, it鈥檚 part of the culture,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, no, this little organization they鈥檙e talking about is just a stop gap measure. Nothing will come of it.鈥�
The RCMP says it will conduct a six-month review to determine if the centre is completely independent from the force.鈥�
