1. A wounded martial family. Just days after reports of chaos in the highest ranks of the RCMP, embattled Commissioner William Elliott, released a statement to his troops acknowledging there is a problem with his "management style" and that he and his deputies are "working through" it.
This is all new ground for Canada's national police force - a public concession after a very public condemnation of Mr. Elliott's leadership style by his most senior deputies. They have accused him of being abusive and abrasive.
"We are part of the RCMP family," says the memo, which is signed by Mr. Elliott. "As with any family, there are occasions where we have difficulties. By working together as a team, the senior leadership of the Force intends to address the challenges we face while continuing to work together in the best interests of the RCMP, the communities and the Canadians we serve."
The memo - it is sensitively written and very touchy/feely for what is considered a macho organization that always gets its man - was circulated to the entire force Wednesday. It is also signed by 10 senior deputies and executives, including two of the deputy commissioners, Tim Killam and Raf Souccar, who were reportedly among at least seven senior officers who complained to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews about the Commissioner's leadership style and behaviour.
Mr. Elliott is the first civilian to be appointed RCMP commissioner, a move that raised eyebrows three years ago when he was named by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Many observers wondered how a civilian who had not risen through the ranks could understood RCMP culture and successfully reconfigure a force that needed change.
An outside adviser has now been called in to do a workplace assessment. "We welcome this assessment and are committed to cooperating fully and with candor," the Elliott memo says, noting too that all senior staff are "working through the issues underlying the complaints."
2. 'Law-and-disorder government.' Politicians have grabbed on to the controversy within the RCMP and are running with it, with the Liberals accusing the Conservatives of creating all this chaos by appointing a civilian to the post.
At the same time they are accusing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who hired Mr. Elliott, of being AWOL in this debate. He is on holidays somewhere in Ontario with his family and has not commented on the crisis tearing through the top ranks of the national police force.
In a tense and at times bitter debate on CBC's Power & Politics Wednesday, Conservative Senator Michael Duffy, a former broadcaster, and Liberal MP Scott Brison mixed it up over the Elliott affair.
Mr. Duffy, whose son is an RCMP officer, supported Mr. Elliott, saying the government is "standing behind the civilian commissioner until there is some reason not to." He noted Mr. Elliott is the first civilian to have taken the post and that he is "not surprised" by the pushback.
What does surprise the Senator, however, is that the Liberals do not seem to support the idea of civilian oversight of the force. "Is Scott saying we shouldn't have civilian oversight?" an incredulous Mr. Duffy asked. "Do you want the Mounties to run the show?"
Indeed, Mr. Brison said senior RCMP officers support change but do not "support a civilian heading up the RCMP, someone with no police experience, who is verbally abusive. ... He should not have been appointed in the first place. He should not be there now."
Calling the Conservative government a "law-and-disorder government," Mr. Brison said appointing a civilian was a "recipe for disaster and it led to chaos. … Now when the Prime Minister should be accountable as the author of this crisis he has gone into hiding for three weeks."
That comment sent the Senator on a familiar tear: "Do the Liberals stand for civilian oversight? Do they want civilians to run the Mounties or do they want the Mounties to run their own show?"
Wednesday's TV appearance was one of Mr. Duffy's first on CBC since a similarly pugnacious session in November. At the time, he called NDP MP Peter Stoffer an " amiable fake" deserving of a "Hollywood award" for daring to bring up the thorny subject of Senate expenses and accountability.
3. 'A smear of the entire public service.' Although the Prime Minister has yet to pronounce on this situation, other Conservatives have been busy trying to deal with the crisis, spinning lines and circulating talking points.
In addition to sending out Mike Duffy, Conservative Party strategists circulated a memo late Wednesday to supporters criticizing the Liberal stand. "Today in an astonishing development Liberal MP Scott Brison said William Elliott should never have been named commissioner of the RCMP," the Tories say.
Referring to the Liberal position as a "smear of the entire public service," the strategists add: "The direct implication of Brison's statement is that no civilian is qualified to lead the RCMP. Attacking civilian oversight of the RCMP is a new low for the Ignatieff Liberals."
And the party memo accuses the Liberals of trying to score "cheap political points" by attacking the "principle of civilian oversight."
4. Verbatim. The text of the RCMP memo sent out Tuesday follows:
Force Wide Broadcast from the Senior Executive Committee
As has been reported in the media, complaints about the management style of the Commissioner have recently been made by certain officers in the Force.
The Senior Executive Committee -- that is the Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioners and those others who report directly to the Commissioner -- are working through the issues underlying the complaints. We will be assisted by an workplace assessment by an outside advisor. We welcome this assessment and are committed to cooperating fully and with candor. We look forward to the helpful recommendations which will follow.
We are part of the RCMP family. As with any family, there are occasions where we have difficulties By working together as a team, the senior leadership of the Force intends to address the challenges we face while continuing to work together in the best interests of the RCMP, the communities and the Canadians we serve. We are confident that the pace of progress and our successes in bringing about positive change in the RCMP will continue to accelerate and grow.
We each have a role to play and look forward to accomplishing this fundamentally important task.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
William J.S. Elliott, Commissioner
Rod Knecht, Senior Deputy Commissioner
Tim Killam, Deputy Commissioner, Policing Support Services
Gary Bass, Deputy Commissioner, Pacific Region
Darrell Madill, Deputy Commissioner, Contract and Aboriginal Policing
Raf Souccar, Deputy Commissioner, Federal Policing and Central Region
Steve Graham, Deputy Commissioner, Atlantic Region
Allen Nause, Chief Human Resources Officer
Alain Séguin, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
Sheila Bird, Executive Director, Public Affairs
Bernie Corrigan, Commanding Officer, National Headquarters
Randy Parks, Assistant Commissioner, Strategic Policy and Planning Directorate