A video allegedly showed an RCMP officer sexually harassing an Indigenous teen. Then it went missing. Inside allegations of misconduct and cover-up in Canada’s national police force.
On May 10, 2017, I went to the local RCMP detachment headquarters for a mandatory training course for new officers. When I arrived at around 9 a.m., I noticed a number of RCMP sergeants gathered around the station in a large room filled with tables.
I walked over and sat down next to the sergeant training. As I sat down, he asked me where I was from and how I got here. I said I was from Winnipeg and was just doing a training course. I said I was here for the mandatory course. He just looked at me, smiled, and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m a sergeants first.” Then he got up and walked out of the room.
I didn’t know what to think. This was a Canadian national police force. I knew it was unlikely that an officer from our service would act like this, but I’m sure he could be well-intentioned.
I had never had the experience of being a stranger in an RCMP workplace before. I had a very positive impression of the police service.
I asked someone in the crowd why the RCMP was like this. They said many of them were new to their jobs and I shouldn’t judge them. I didn’t agree.
I followed the sergeant to his office where we had a brief chat, then he left and I assumed we would have an opportunity to interact in the normal way.
I saw an officer walk out of his room down the hall with a few RCMP officers. He didn’t look like him I remembered. This was a different officer. He wasn’t like the people from my training course. I knew he was new. This officer came over to me saying hello as if he had known me for a while. I didn’