ARCHIVED - Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP - Report

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Chair's Message

This Report on Plans and Priorities of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC) for 2011–2012 provides an overview of our plans for the next fiscal year. The CPC provides civilian oversight of RCMP members' conduct in performing their policing duties so as to hold the RCMP accountable to the public. The Commission makes a significant contribution to protecting citizens by building safer and healthier communities and its work is an essential component of the government's commitment to strengthen the security of Canadians.

In January 2010, I was privileged to take on the responsibility of Interim Chair of the CPC. My motivation for accepting the position was based on being asked to play a role in helping a key organization transition to a new mandate which I believe is as important to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as it is to the Canadian public. The creation of a new oversight regime was announced in Budget 2010 and the proposed legislation is currently before Parliament.

As Interim Chair, I am optimistic that a strengthened oversight mandate will indeed address what RCMP Commissioner Elliott has referred to as a "credibility challenge." We understand that the public's expectation of accountability from their public institutions, and particularly from their police forces, has evolved, and the bar has been raised significantly.

If its new mandate with additional funding is not in place by April 2011, the CPC will be seeking the renewal of the temporary funding received in fiscal year 2010–2011. The plans and priorities detailed in this document are based on the assumption that temporary funding will be provided. Should this strategy prove to be unsuccessful, the CPC's Departmental Performance Report for 2011–2012 will indicate which of our plans and priorities we were able to accomplish with the allotted funds.

Section I - Overview

Summary Information

Raison d'être: Vision, Mission and Mandate

The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC) is an independent agency created by Parliament in 1988 and is not part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The CPC's fundamental role is to provide civilian review of the conduct of the RCMP members in carrying out their policing duties, thereby holding the RCMP accountable to the public. The CPC ensures that complaints about the conduct of RCMP members are examined fairly and impartially. Its findings and recommendations help identify, correct and prevent the recurrence of policing problems caused by the conduct of specific RCMP members or by deficiencies in RCMP policies or practices. The CPC has the authority to make findings and recommendations, but cannot impose discipline or make monetary awards to complainants. The CPC's headquarters are in Ottawa, Ontario and its National Intake Office is located in Surrey, British Columbia.

Vision

Excellence in policing through accountability.

Mission

To provide civilian review of RCMP members' conduct in performing their policing duties so as to hold the RCMP accountable to the public.

Mandate

The mandate of the CPC is set out in Part VII of the RCMP Act and can be summarized as follows:

• to receive complaints from the public about the conduct of RCMP members;¹
• to initiate complaints to delve into RCMP conduct when it is in the public interest to do so;
• to conduct reviews when complainants are not satisfied with the RCMP's handling of their complaints;
• to hold hearings and conduct investigations; and
• to report findings and make recommendations.

Strategic Outcome

In order to effectively pursue its mandate, the CPC aims to achieve the following strategic outcome:

RCMP members are held publicly accountable for their conduct in the performance of their duties.

Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture (PAA)

The following graphic outlines the CPC's Program Activity Architecture and the priorities it has set for 2011–2012.

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Planning Summary

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2011–12	2012–13	2013–14
5,412	5,412	5,412

Should the new mandate not be in place by April 2011, the CPC will be seeking the same amount of interim funding (approximately $3M) as received over the last three fiscal years to continue to fulfill its existing mandate.

Human Resources (FTEs)

2011–12	2012–13	2013–14
40	40	40

Should interim funding for the current mandate be renewed (in the absence of a new mandate by April 2011), the CPC plans to have an additional 19 FTEs in 2011-2012 as per the plans in the previous fiscal year 2010-11.

Strategic Outcome: RCMP members are held publicly accountable for their conduct in the performance of their duties.

Performance Indicator	Target
Recommendations accepted by the RCMP and have been implemented.	100%

Program Activity	Forecast Spending 2010–11 ($ Thousands)	Planned Spending			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
		2011–12	2012–13	2013–14
Civilian review of RCMP members' conduct in the performance of their duties	4,447	2,977	2,977	2,977	Social Affairs Safe and Secure Communities
Internal Services	3,638	2,435	2,435	2,435
Total Planned Spending	8,085	5,412	5,412	5,412

Contribution of Priorities to Strategic Outcome

Operational Priorities	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome	Description
Increase public awareness of the role and services of the CPC	On-going	SO 1	Why is this a priority? The CPC must provide a service that is open and accessible to the communities it serves, particularly to Aboriginal communities, newly-arrived immigrants and other citizens who for cultural, linguistic or literacy-related reasons are less likely to know about or avail themselves of the public complaint process. Plans for meeting the priority Consolidate 2010 outreach efforts with municipality associations, Aboriginal and ethno-cultural groups. Build relationships with the mental health community and ethnic media. Continue to promote a media engagement strategy. Enhance external communications. Enhance liaison with the RCMP and other stakeholders. Enhance outreach with the academic community.
Strengthen the complaint and review processes	On-going		Why is this a priority? A strong complaint and review process with established service standards enhances the credibility of both the CPC and the RCMP for a timely response to public complaints. The CPC is committed to the continuous improvement of the complaint and review processes. Plans for meeting the priority Maintain service standards and enhance efficiencies of the complaint and review processes. Continue to track actions taken by the RCMP on recommendations. Develop and implement a new Business Process Management Solution. Continue to collaborate more closely with the provinces, territories, RCMP and stakeholders regarding common interests.
Improve the relevance of review recommendations and identify complaint trends	On-going	SO 1	Why is this a priority? As custodians of the public complaint process and pursuant to the provisions of the RCMP Act, one of the CPC's goals is to identify opportunities to strengthen police accountability and effect change within the entire complaint system. The CPC's in-depth examinations provide assurance that key systemic areas of concern are thoroughly examined and reported upon publicly. Plans for meeting the priority Undertake research projects designed to understand the nature of and trends within public complaints and police/public interactions. Make recommendations for changes in national policing policy, training and behaviours based on identified trends in policing. Foster greater collaboration among domestic and international police review bodies, governments, academics and stakeholders.

Management Priorities	Type	Links to Strategic Outcome(s)	Description
Facilitate the creation of a new review mechanism for the RCMP	New	SO 1	Why is this a priority? As the national, independent review body for the RCMP, the CPC is uniquely positioned to bring the public's perspective to the legislative proposals. The stronger and more credible the independent oversight and review of the RCMP is, the more credible the Force will be. Plans for meeting the priority Continue to provide advice to the government on Bill C-38 regarding the creation of a new independent review and complaints commission for the RCMP. Effectively manage the change to the new organization.
Support management excellence and enhance a workplace of choice	On-going	SO 1	Why is this a priority? As a micro-agency, the CPC is more heavily impacted by staff turnover, which can have a significant effect on productivity and service to the public. Plans for meeting the priority Maintain a high level of employee engagement and productivity. Maintain a modern human resources management regime. Strengthen management performance and capacity guided by the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) expectations. Maintain an integrated business and human resources plan to support its business objectives. Obtain a baseline of workplace wellbeing.

Risk Analysis

In order to foster an organizational culture that supports risk-informed decision-making, focuses on results, and enables the consideration of both opportunity and innovation; the CPC, as part of its annual planning process, conducts a risk assessment and identifies appropriate actions to mitigate any identified risks. Risks and related mitigation strategies are also regularly discussed at senior executive committee meetings. In setting its plans and priorities, the CPC considered key factors that could influence its direction in the next few years. In addition to the external context that the CPC operates in, it faces risks that could impact on its ability to achieve the results it is working towards. The CPC has focused on the implementation of effective risk management practices. It has identified and assessed a number of risks that have the potential to impede progress and developed mitigation strategies to address them.

External Context

All public institutions, including the police, must continue to adapt to a population that is becoming exceedingly diverse. The CPC's clients are increasingly so in terms of their cultures, beliefs, values, attitudes and languages. A report from Statistics Canada² predicts that by 2031, about one-third of Canadians will belong to a visible minority group. The evolving nature of Canadian society will require all agencies to ensure that services continue to be tailored to client needs.

Within the police community, there are varying levels of awareness of diversity issues and varying levels of skill in dealing with them. Certain realities face today's RCMP: a high number of new recruits; a high rate of turnover; a high number of baby boomers retiring; experienced members leaving the force for a variety of reasons; and a lack of resources have resulted in the inadequate mentoring of new members, understaffing of detachments, and morale issues.

Uncertainty of Transition to New Mandate

The Minister of Public Safety tabled Bill C-38, An Act to Amend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act, in the House of Commons on June 14, 2010. There is a risk that the new regime will fall short of public expectations of independent and transparent oversight. There is also a risk that the CPC will not have the capacity to immediately assume its new responsibilities. In addition, there is a risk that key stakeholders and staff will have difficulty making the shift to the new model.

In an effort to support improvements to Bill C-38, the CPC has provided Public Safety Canada with proposed amendments to enhance the operational effectiveness of the new Commission.

Insufficient Funding

There is a risk that the new mandate with appropriate funding will not be in place by April 2011 and that the CPC will not receive its renewed interim funding which is needed to continue to fulfill its existing mandate and to bridge the gap to the creation of the new organization. Without additional temporary funding, the CPC will face a capacity gap, which will place it in the position of not being able to meet public expectations for effective oversight of the RCMP or fulfill its role as steward of the overall complaints system. The CPC would have difficulty maintaining its service standards for the timely and thorough review of complaints, and would have to strictly limit its community outreach, straining carefully built relations with key stakeholders. Key accountability projects such as the Review of the Record would cease. The CPC has been working with Public Safety Canada and Treasury Board Secretariat to address this risk.

RCMP Implementation of CPC's Recommendations

As the CPC's recommendations to the RCMP are not binding, there is a risk that key recommendations will not be implemented. To mitigate this risk, the CPC has increased its systematic tracking of recommendations made to the RCMP and created a “Recommendations Awaiting Implementation” section on its website.

Responding to Major Policing Events

The CPC has no control over serious incidents between the RCMP and the public. Such events impact on workloads across the CPC and have the potential to negatively impact the achievement of service standards. As well, the CPC may not have sufficient financial or human resources to respond to such events. Through the use of supply arrangements for specialized investigators and the tracking of workloads within the CPC, and where needed, the reallocation of staff, the CPC has the capacity to undertake important high profile investigations.

Recruitment and Retention of Key Staff

Like all small agencies, the CPC faces the risk of not having the necessary human resources, due to retention and recruitment challenges. To mitigate this risk, the CPC has made it a priority to maintain an effective integrated business and human resources plan and has developed policies to maintain a workplace of choice. The integrated plan sets out human resource priorities to strengthen leadership and to address organizational changes and recruitment/staffing pressures.

Expenditure Profile

Since the last quarter of fiscal year 2007-08, the CPC has received interim funding (approximately $3M) to fulfill its current mandate. Through the fall of 2010, the CPC has been working with Public Safety Canada and Treasury Board Secretariat to assess funding options should its new mandate not be in place by April 2011. Should this strategy prove to be unsuccessful, the CPC's Departmental Performance Report for 2011–2012 will indicate which of its plans and priorities it was able to accomplish with its current A-base funding.

The chart below illustrates the CPC's financial resources trend from 2007–2008 to 2013–2014 (includes EBP but excludes accommodation charges).

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Estimates by Vote

For information on our organizational votes and/or statutory expenditures, please see the 2011–12 Main Estimates publication. An electronic version of the Main Estimates is available on http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20112012/me-bpd/toc-tdm-eng.asp.

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