The RCMP is set to provide an update on their progress in responding to the inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting that left 22 people dead. The report from RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme comes three months after the police force’s self-imposed deadline passed and almost a year after the public inquiry released its final report. The federal-provincial Mass Casualty Commission investigated the shooting and issued 130 recommendations to improve public safety, many of which apply to the Mounties. The RCMP has responded to two key recommendations so far, one relating to critical incident response training and the other to management culture.
The inquiry found that during the shooting in Portapique, N.S., on April 18, 2020, the RCMP were quick to discount witness statements and were poorly managed, resulting in officers being one step behind the killer. The inquiry’s final report highlighted issues with RCMP management culture, including a tendency to discourage relaying bad news up the chain of command and making decisions that could be criticized. The report also cited the 2020 Bastarache Report on sexual harassment in the RCMP, which found that women managers were not always given the same respect as their male colleagues.
The inquiry identified that RCMP management culture impedes institutional learning and accountability, citing resistance to acknowledging errors, lack of resources for responding to criticism, and denial of sexism and systemic racism within the ranks. The inquiry’s extensive report stated that the RCMP must recognize and address these issues within its management culture to make changes. As a result, the commission of inquiry requested the RCMP to explain how they will revise their criteria for selecting senior managers to address the unhealthy aspects of the management culture. The RCMP has detailed previous changes made in response to similar criticism and has posted a plan online to reshape management culture and human resources practices.
The RCMP’s focus on transforming workplace culture includes instilling a healthy management culture and improving leadership in various areas. The federal-provincial inquiry uncovered widespread failures in how the RCMP responded during the 13-hour rampage in April 2020, where a man disguised as a Mountie and driving a replica RCMP cruiser killed 22 people in northern and central Nova Scotia. The RCMP’s new report emphasizes the importance of addressing these failures and implementing changes to prevent similar incidents in the future. The report by The Canadian Press was published on March 27, 2024.
In conclusion, the RCMP continues to address recommendations from the inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting, focusing on critical incident response training and improving management culture. The inquiry highlighted issues with RCMP management culture, including resistance to acknowledging errors and sexism within the ranks. The RCMP is working to reshape its management culture and human resources practices to create a healthier work environment and improve leadership. The federal-provincial inquiry found significant failures in the RCMP’s response to the shooting and emphasized the need for changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.
