Mounties group sets up legal aid program so officers can fight

RICHMOND, B.C. – A group that represents about 2,000 Mounties across Canada has set up a legal aid program it says will help protect officers from a government bill that gives the RCMP commissioner too much power.

Bill C-42 would give RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson and a revamped complaints body greater powers to dismiss and demote members, including those Paulson has described as bad apples.

Mounted Police Professional Association’s national president Rae Banwarie (BAN-WAR-ee) told a news conference in Richmond, B.C., that the bill infringes on Mounties’ charter rights, but many members don’t have the money to settle disputes in court.

The legal-aid program, which is funded by the association’s members, would cover fees for legal advice, lawyers and the costs of formal disciplinary proceedings.

The association claims Bill C-42 forces officers to give incriminating evidence against themselves — something that other Canadian citizens would never have to do.

The bill was tabled last June, several months after the force was hit with a yet-to-be certified class action lawsuit over alleged discrimination and harassment of nearly 300 female members.