The RCMP’s research shows that only 35% of Canadians trust the leadership of RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.
Another 51% of Canadians said the Mounties are an honest police force, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. And 61% of Canadians surveyed say the RCMP seldom exceeds its authority, while 22% say the RCMP sometimes oversteps its boundaries.
The RCMP in-house research also found that tracking suggests trust in the RCMP’s national leaders has eroded somewhat over the past year.
The development comes after the RCMP admitted it hacked Canadians’ devices to install spyware.
And, of course, there was the controversy surrounding Lucki after the mass murder in Portapique, Nova Scotia on April 18, 2020, which left 22 people dead.
First, Lucki was accused by a fellow Mountie of interfering with the investigation into the mass shooting to push for stricter gun control. She asked for info on the types of guns used in the massacre to be released to the public prematurely.
That allegation was found in handwritten notes from Nova Scotia RCMP Supt. Darren Campbell and released as part of the Mass Casualty Commission probe.
Campbell wrote that Lucki was upset that the RCMP in Nova Scotia was not revealing more information about the weapons used because she had promised the federal government — which was considering gun control legislation at the time — that they would raise it.
Lucki has denied the allegations.
Lucki also began her second day of testimony before the Mass Casualty Commission acknowledging that she did not understand the police response to the events. That job was left to other people, she said.
“There are people looking at all of this,” Lucki said in response to questioning from lawyer Josh Bryson who represents the family of two victims.
“Any of the gaps that are resulting from these testimonies, the things that you are pointing out, or that we have known ourselves, all of these people are being tasked to do things. Where it’s at, who’s specifically being tasked, I can’t give you those details, I don’t know them.”
The RCMP was also the subject of a $1.1-billion class-action lawsuit over alleged harassment of members.
