WATCH: There’s growing reaction to a Global News investigation into RCMP training and preparedness. Federal Liberals are calling on Commissioner Bob Paulson to testify about some of the concerns of his frontline officers. Jennifer Tryon reports.
The federal Liberals are asking that RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson testify, in light of a 16×9 investigation that exposed serious concerns over RCMP frontline officers’ equipment and training.
The motion, sent to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security Thursday, asks that Paulson testify about frontline RCMP personnel preparedness.
The motion, presented by Liberal MP Wayne Easter, invites Paulson “to give testimony on public reporting of RCMP personnel, who confirmed the inability of the RCMP to properly equip and train its frontline personnel.”
The motion also asks Paulson to testify on “the necessity for the RCMP to re-designate funding and personnel from active criminal investigations to responding to the anti-terrorism initiative.” The motion will be voted on in committee.
The motion comes on the heels of 16×9’s report Under Fire, a five-month long investigation examining one of the most horrific killing sprees in Canadian history. On June 4, 2014, lone gunman Justin Bourque, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, hunted down cops in Moncton, N.B., killing three and wounded two within 20 minutes.
INVESTIGATION: Under Fire – Were Moncton RCMP officers ready for the call?
Questions were raised in the 16×9 report about the RCMP’s training and preparation for such an event, including the years-long delay in rolling out the carbine program – a semi-automatic weapon. The officers who first responded to the call were armed only with 9 mm sidearms, and a few had shotguns.
Prior to Under Fire airing, Paulson sent out an internal memo slamming the report as “gotcha” journalism.
READ MORE: RCMP sends out defensive internal memo hours before explosive 16×9 investigation
RCMP management has repeatedly refused on-camera interviews.
Last month, opposition parties accused the Conservative government of failing to protect public safety, asking if the feds had provided adequate training and resources for RCMP officers while simultaneously cutting its budget.
“The rank and file RCMP officers came out this weekend, put their jobs on the line, to tell the Canadian public they feel betrayed by this government because they’re not getting the funds for training,” said Easter, citing the 16×9 investigation.
Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney disagreed, saying the government had increased the RCMP’s budget by a third.
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