A Commons committee has recommended that RCMP deputy commissioner Barbara George be found in contempt of Parliament, alleging she deliberately misled MPs, an accusation George denied in a statement released Tuesday.
The allegation was part of recommendations tabled Tuesday, in which the committee rebuked George and claimed she misled Parliament during an appearance on Feb. 21, 2007.
George testified before the Commons Public Accounts Committee last year regarding the RCMP insurance and pension scandal.
She said she had nothing to do with the removal of Staff Sgt. Mike Frizzell from a team that was probing how the RCMP's $12 billion pension fund and insurance plans were operated.
Later, MPs on the public accounts committee found there was allegedly conflicting testimony about her possible involvement.
George released a statement saying she answered questions "honestly, accurately and to the very best of my personal recollection."
The statement said she was "disappointed to learn that the report issued today by the public accounts committee reflects their distorted interpretation of my testimony.''
Frizzell himself told the committee that George was responsible for his removal from the team, and last March, documents suggest George was involved in email exchanges about Frizzell's move.
"Because Deputy Commissioner George is a senior, uniformed member of the RCMP, the committee expected more from her as a witness,'' the report says.
"She is a professional who has been trained in the rules of evidence, conducting investigations, gathering evidence, and weighing testimony. She should have provided the committee with the information she had at that time based upon her knowledge and beliefs.''
CTV parliamentary correspondent Graham Richardson, who has been in contact with George's family, said they are enraged with the allegations and that they suggested the committee is out of its depth, adding "there's no evidence she actually did anything wrong."
George is still the deputy commissioner of the RCMP and it's not clear whether the committee could remove her from the position.
The RCMP pension scandal dates back to 2003, and has marred the reputation of the national police force with allegations of mismanagement, nepotism, questionable expense claims, and contracts given to consultants who did little or no work.
A separate federal investigation concluded last June that former RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli harmed the public trust by allowing the controversy to continue for years. Zaccardelli denied he was involved in any cover-up of alleged mismanagement of the fund.
George, who has accused the committee of "gross" unfairness, was the only senior Mountie suspended in connection with the pension flap.
She was reinstated to the RCMP in November after eight months. The police force also clarified that her suspension was not linked to any allegation that she had misused public funds, or that she had mismanaged pension or insurance plans.
With files from The Canadian Press
