The Harper government is calling on a former top spy to probe the workplace atmosphere at the RCMP.
Reid Morden, former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, has been called in to look into complaints from senior Mounties over the leadership style of Commissioner William Elliott.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the goal of the assessment will be to determine the extent of the problems within Canada’s national police force, although the results are expected to be kept secret.
“Mr. Morden, as a former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, brings to this process decades of experience and demonstrated capacity to manage conflict within complex environments,” Mr. Toews said in a statement obtained by the CBC.
“This government will continue its work to reform and strengthen our national police force, and remains committed to ensuring the RCMP becomes a stronger, more accountable organization.”
But Linda Duxbury, a professor at Carleton University and an RCMP expert, said it would have been better to choose an adviser with fewer ties to the federal bureaucracy. “I would have preferred someone who is an outsider,” she said. “Will Mr. Morden bite the hand that feeds him?”
Sources said Assistant Commissioner Mike McDonell, who commands the RCMP’s Ontario division and is nearing retirement, sent a letter to Mr. Toews and other government officials last week laying out a series of complaints about Mr. Elliott's alleged dictatorial conduct. Other assistant and deputy commissioners vented their anger with the deputy minister at Public Safety Canada.
Recently retired former senior deputy commissioner Bill Sweeney said Tuesday that tensions have steadily grown since Mr. Elliott became the RCMP's first civilian leader three years ago.
“There was considerable discontent with the manner that the commissioner conducted himself, both around senior and junior officers. The tension was palpable, and I'm not surprised that people felt compelled to step forward,” Mr. Sweeney said.
Mr. Sweeney left the RCMP on July 1 after nearly 36 years of service. “The commissioner is a man of extremes. In some instances, his conduct was unacceptable to others around him.”
But senior officials who support Mr. Elliott feel the conflict could be related to personal ambitions and rivalries between members trying to move up within the RCMP.
“The commissioner is a passionate guy,” said a member of the senior executive committee. “He expects the best out of everyone.”
Sources described the complainants as “Ottawa-centric,” saying Mr. Elliott does not face the same problems with senior leadership in the rest of the country.
