The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are set to provide an update on their progress in responding to the inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting that killed 22 people. The report comes three months after the self-imposed deadline passed and almost a year after the public inquiry released its final report, which issued 130 non-binding recommendations to improve public safety. The majority of these recommendations apply to the Mounties. The RCMP has recently updated its website to show that it has responded to two key recommendations regarding critical incident response training and management culture. The inquiry found that during the shooting in Portapique, N.S., the Mounties were quick to discount witness statements and poorly managed, leading officers to be behind the killer.
The inquiry’s final report cited a 2015 task force that found the RCMP’s management culture discourages leaders from relaying bad news up the chain of command and making decisions that may be criticized. The report also mentioned 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. It was found that the RCMP’s management culture thwarts institutional learning and accountability, with a resistance to acknowledging errors, a lack of resources for responding to criticism, and a resistance to acknowledging sexism and systemic racism within the ranks. The inquiry recommended the RCMP change their criteria for selecting senior managers to disrupt these unhealthy aspects of management culture.
The RCMP’s new report includes a long list of previous changes implemented after previous reports raised similar criticisms. The Mounties have also published a “three pillar” plan online to reshape management culture and human resources practices, with a focus on transforming workplace culture and instilling a healthy management culture. They acknowledge that there are opportunities for improvement in leadership and other areas. The federal-provincial inquiry found widespread failures in how the RCMP responded during the 13-hour rampage through northern and central Nova Scotia on April 18-19, 2020. A man disguised as a Mountie and driving a replica RCMP cruiser fatally shot 22 people during this tragedy.
The inquiry report called for the RCMP to recognize and address the persistence of unhealthy management culture within the organization to ensure that errors are acknowledged and addressed. The commission of inquiry requested that the RCMP explain how they will change their criteria for selecting senior managers to disrupt these unhealthy aspects of the RCMP’s management culture. The RCMP report emphasizes that transforming workplace culture and instilling a healthy management culture are key priorities for the organization. Despite previous criticisms and changes implemented, the RCMP recognizes that there are still opportunities for improvement in various areas, including leadership. The federal-provincial inquiry highlighted the failures in the RCMP’s response to the mass shooting and the need for significant changes to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
