Nunavut RCMP complaint process takes too long, doesn't work properly: watchdog

The RCMP in Nunavut take too long to handle public complaints against the police and don't have the right training to deal with them, according to a report from the force's watchdog. 

The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) of the RCMP released its findings Thursday of an investigation into how Nunavut RCMP handled complaints made against them through the commission's process. 

The report looked at complaints made between April 1, 2018, and March 31, 2022. It reviewed policies, procedures and guidelines, training, compliance and public perception.

There were 75 public complaints against the RCMP in Nunavut over those four years — a small number, according to the CRCC. 

"The low number of complaints in Nunavut over the four-year review period may be due to either a lack of trust in the system, which may particularly be the case for Inuit communities, or a lack of awareness, or both," the report said. 

It found some investigations took three to five years to complete. 

Some investigations were also not initiated by the RCMP for nearly two years, resulting in some people withdrawing their complaints. 

Nearly two-third of complaints were withdrawn or never resolved at all. 

Complaints process not tailored to Nunavut 

The report makes several recommendations and findings to the Nunavut RCMP to improve its handling of the complaint process. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme responded to those in a separate report. 

The CRCC recommended the RCMP make training on the complaint process mandatory and update and increase knowledge of the national policy. 

It also recommended the Nunavut RCMP develop its own public complaint policy "that is adapted to the realities of policing in Nunavut."

It also wants the RCMP to update its national public complaint policy. 

The CRCC and the Nunavut RCMP also need to improve awareness and accountability of the public complaints system, it said. 

It also found the RCMP's national complaints policy "unclear and too long." The RCMP also doesn't require oversight to monitor whether the policy is effective. 

The CRCC said it was important for Nunavut RCMP members to understand the difference between withdrawing a complaint and informally resolving one, two things they did frequently. 

"The CRCC found that this was often done without properly articulating the rationale, so it was difficult to know if the complaint had been coded properly as a withdrawal or an informal resolution."

Overall, the number of public complaints that were withdrawn was much higher in Nunavut compared to the rest of Canada — 27 per cent compared to 11 per cent. 

The review also found the training course for the public complaints process had not been given to complaint investigators in Nunavut during the review period. 

Most people interviewed also weren't aware the training was even available. 

It also found the Nunavut RCMP does not offer pre-deployment training for staff coming to the territory. 

"They do not receive training on cultural awareness, local knowledge, and the history of the RCMP in Nunavut. This type of training should be added at the earliest opportunity."

The RCMP did contract Pirurvik, an Inuit-owned learning centre, to develop pre-deployment training, but it was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In his response, the commissioner said a new agreement had been reached with a new cultural agency to resume the training, which will be mandatory for members. 

Commissioner rejects two recommendations 

RCMP Commissioner Duheme did not accept a recommendation from the CRCC to create an online portal so people can check the status of their complaint. The commissioner said that's because legislation already requires the RCMP to update complainants once a month. 

He said he will direct Nunavut RCMP members to comply with that requirement. 

The commissioner also did not accept the recommendations to create a complaint system that fits with Nunavut's needs. He said the Nunavut RCMP has been working with other partners to adapt the process to Nunavut's, and creating an online system wouldn't solve the problem. 

Overall, Duheme agreed with or supported all but those two recommendations.

The CRCC also commissioned NVision Insight Group to do community research as part of the review, which it released in a separate report. 

The CRCC said the RCMP also need to recruit and retain Inuktut-speaking members. 

"The limited number of Inuit members in "V" Division contributes to the language barrier, power imbalance, and lack of confidence from the community."