QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Report of the Mass Casualty Commission
April 18, 2023
Senator Gold, as you know, today is a very sad anniversary for all Canadians. Three years ago today, Canada’s worst mass shooting occurred in my home province of Nova Scotia, senselessly ending the lives of 22 innocent people, including a highly competent and valued member of the RCMP, Heidi Stevenson, from my hometown of Antigonish.
You will recall that not long after the initial shock of that tragedy, several of us representing our province in this chamber called upon the provincial and federal governments to launch a full inquiry. The recommendations of that inquiry, recently published in the final report of the Mass Casualty Commission, call for substantive and systematic reform of the RCMP in order to prevent more of the kind of devastating tragedies that we witnessed in Nova Scotia in April 2020.
Of the commission’s 130 recommendations, over 60 were directed at the RCMP. The message from the commissioner says:
The future of the RCMP and of provincial policing requires focused re-evaluation. We need to rethink the role of the police in a wider ecosystem of public safety. . . .
The message goes on to say:
Most important, the RCMP must finally undergo the fundamental change called for in so many previous reports. . . .
In recognition of that imperative, Senator Harder has introduced his Senate inquiry on the role and mandate of the RCMP.
Senator Gold, could you tell us how and when the government plans to respond to the calls to action of the Mass Casualty Commission for major reforms of the RCMP? Concern has been raised that it’s unrealistic to expect the RCMP themselves to lead that reform.
Thank you for your question.
First and foremost, I think I speak for all of us that our hearts go out to and that we continue to grieve with the families and the communities of Portapique and Truro.
As you pointed out, senator, the Mass Casualty Commission’s final report lays out a road map for reforming the RCMP. As you would know, the government has established an implementation body that will prioritize and support the implementation of those recommendations. They include strengthening the oversight of the RCMP, strengthening our laws banning assault-style firearms and addressing the root causes of gun crime through supports for mental health services for Canadians.
To your last point, the government is working very closely with the RCMP to reform the institution so that we can prevent, to the fullest extent of our ability, another mass shooting of this kind from ever occurring again.
Senator Gold, we know that the tragedy in Nova Scotia began with the murderer violently assaulting and threatening his partner.
Several of the recommendations in the Mass Casualty Commission’s report focused on the flawed RCMP and governmental response to widespread intimate partner violence in Canada. Funding related to preventing and effectively intervening in gender-based violence has been inadequate for many years, and, for that reason, endangers women’s lives.
The report calls for the Government of Canada to declare gender-based violence an epidemic in Canada and provide long-term funding for services that have been long demonstrated to be effective in meeting the needs of women survivors of gender-based violence and that contribute to preventing gender-based violence.
Senator Gold, we know that the government has said that it’s very committed to ending gender-based violence and supporting its victims. Will the government accept the findings of the commission and move to declare gender-based violence an epidemic in Canada, and commit to providing long-term and, most importantly, sustained funding for effective services?
As you know, honourable senators, in 2017, the government published its strategy to address gender-based violence. It’s outlined in a document that’s entitled, It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence.
This strategy builds on several federal initiatives, coordinating existing programs. It lays the foundation for greater action to combat gender-based violence, including initiatives to support survivors and their families, and to promote a responsive legal and justice system.
There are other ways that the government is also taking action, notably through the introduction of Bill C-21 which proposes to implement Canada’s most significant action against gun violence in at least a generation and which will — as we know, because of the impact that gun violence has on women and the degree to which firearms, tragically, are used in cases of violence against women — benefit women.
I do not know the answer to your specific question about the status of that recommendation. I’ll certainly make inquiries and report back.
