Commissioner William Elliott poses with members of the RCMP Musical Ride at the Mounties' stables in Ottawa on April 28, 2010.The Canadian Press/The Canadian Press
The RCMP is still, alas, horribly broken. A new generation of leaders is needed to rescue it. The latest troubles to bedevil the national police force provide the government an opportunity to reshape the force at its highest levels. New leadership seems essential if the Mounties are to regain the country's trust.
Commissioner William Elliott was appointed three years ago to help drag a paramilitary organization, kicking and screaming if necessary, into 21st-century accountability and oversight. The kicking and screaming are now occurring, as at least seven deputy and assistant commissioners have complained to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and others about Mr. Elliott's allegedly abusive style of leadership. But it is less clear that sweeping organizational change has actually happened.
Most of the senior management team of a dozen or so people are nearing retirement. They will need to be replaced, but in a manner that does not perpetuate the dysfunction that has been apparent since long before an independent investigation called the Mounties' management structure "horribly broken" in 2006. The pool of candidates at senior levels within the RCMP is not terribly promising, according to Carleton University professor Linda Duxbury, who has written studies of management practices at the RCMP. And there is no effective succession planning in place, she says.
Mr. Elliott was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to guide the force through a period of change. As a civilian, albeit one who had been national security adviser to a prime minister, he faced skepticism from within the force from the beginning. It would have taken superhuman qualities to win everyone over, one observer said; and he proved all too human. The force spent more than $40,000 to send him to the United States for "executive coaching" - a nicer term than anger management. An effective manager needs a vision and the ability to bring people along.
His successor should come from a police or military background, though not necessarily from within the Mounties. That individual should be strong enough to lead the necessary internal transformation while also standing up to the force's external critics. "The key is a leader with guts," says Prof. Duxbury.
The government has begun the process of change by creating an independent oversight body, a change Mr. Elliott publicly supported. It should be clear that a more thorough management overhaul recommended in countless reports and inquiries cannot be avoided or delayed.
The Mounties always get their man, it is said, only this time it's the commissioner in their sights. In the near future, Mr. Elliott and some senior Mounties will move (or be moved) on. Fixing the RCMP's prolonged dysfunction should be an immediate priority for the government.