The inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia heard today from a former assistant commissioner of the RCMP who says the police force has a long history of ignoring calls for change.
Cal Corley, who is now CEO of the Community Safety Knowledge Alliance, says the federal police force has long resisted outside advice because of its deep-rooted paramilitary culture, a lack of diverse views and a dearth of what he called “transformational leadership.”
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Corley was among eight academics and bureaucrats who took part in a roundtable discussion that focused on community policing, an idea that Corley says was initially embraced by the RCMP but has failed to take root.
The former senior Mountie, who also served as head of the Canadian Police College, cited a 2017 study that compiled a 41-page list of recommendations for change that he said were largely ignored.
The study, produced for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, found that independent reports spread over two decades repeatedly found that transformation in the RCMP had been impeded by “a lack of accountability and a culture of fear.”
The public inquiry in Halifax, which started hearings in February, is expected to conclude its investigation later this month, and a final report is slated for release by March 31 of next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2022.
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