Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day's announcement Thursday of a new panel intended to oversee reforms slated for the RCMP was quickly dismissed by rank-and-file police officers.
The creation of an RCMP Reform Implementation Council was one of the key recommendations of the Task Force on Governance and Cultural Change in the RCMP, which followed the RCMP pension scandal and allegations of corruption within the ranks.
Some Mounties who had complained about problems in the force were demoted or transferred, and many officers said they were afraid to speak out for fear of a backlash from the top. The council is supposed to make the force more accountable.
"It's time to move on with changes, significant changes, that will bring this historic force well into the 21st century in terms of its capabilities and moving forward," Day said at a news conference.
The council will serve in an advising capacity to Day as he oversees reforms to the organization. It will be led by former Alcan executive David McAusland, and will include Beverley Busson, a veteran Mountie who briefly led the RCMP in 2006 and 2007.
The Task Force on Governance and Cultural Change in the RCMP called for more independence from government for the RCMP as well as the creation of a civilian body to oversee the force. But the head of the Canadian Police Association questioned how independent the new council will be.
"You don't put people who have caused the problem in charge -- to bring out a new modernized RCMP," Tony Cannavino told Â鶹´«Ã½net on Thursday afternoon.
"Where's the part where the members will be protected? How can they come out and speak freely and announce any situation where they have been threatened. There's nobody there. There's no independent association ... Why are they so reluctant or afraid to appoint on this committee a representative of the (RCMP) members."
Cannavino noted that rank-and-file Mounties need the same protection to highlight abuses as other police officers in Canada.
But Day said the panel will help implement reforms with "independence and transparency, and McAusland said he wants to ensure that the Mounties will be better run in the future.
"My experience is that regardless of the type of organization you're dealing with . . . excellence in management and excellence in leadership is driven by organizational excellence," he said.
The council is intended to help RCMP Commissioner William Elliott as reforms are carried out, and regularly report to Day on progress.
Its first report is due by the fall, with the following report due in March of 2009.
