20TH ANNIVERSARY RECEPTION SPEECH

By Catherine Ebbs
Chair, RCMP External Review Committee
September 24, 200

Hello everyone and welcome!

First, I would like to thank everyone for joining us today to celebrate the Committee's 20 years of making a difference in the lives of RCMP members. I am very pleased to see such a great turn out and to see people from the many different areas of RCMP labour relations.

I would like to acknowledge the presence of Myles Kirvan, Associate Deputy Minister with Public Safety Canada, Commissioner William Elliott, and members of the National Executive of the Staff Relations Representatives Program, Staff Sergeant Brian Roach and Staff Sergeant Bob Meredith.

I am particularly pleased to welcome two former Chairs of the External Review Committee. Jennifer Lynch, who is currently the Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, served as Acting Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee from March 1992 to July 1998. Philippe Rabot, who is currently the Commissioner of Canada Pension Plan / Old Age Security Review Tribunals, served as Acting Chair and Vice-Chair from 1998 to 2001 and as Chair from July 2001 until April 2005. Thank you both for being here.

I also wish to welcome three former External Review Committee Executive Directors: Simon Coakeley, Bernard Cloutier and Garry Wetzel. We appreciate your presence here today as well.

In addition to the present staff of the Committee, many former employees are joining us. Today's celebration is also a recognition of your essential contributions to the Committee's work over the years.

But what has gotten us to where we are today?

As many of you will know, it was in 1976 that Mr. Justice René Marin - as head of the Commission of Inquiry Relating to Public Complaints, Internal Discipline and Grievance Procedure within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - proposed to transform the way in which labour relations matters were addressed in the RCMP.

The Commission report led to changes to the RCMP Act in 1986 and to the creation, two years later, of the External Review Committee, to provide an independent voice in labour relations within the RCMP.

Mr. Justice Marin went on to become the first Chairperson of the Committee and his contributions not only resulted in the Committee getting up and running, but served to shape and develop the Committee's vision and approach.

The creation of the Committee was a significant innovation. For the first time, RCMP labour relations practices became subject to civilian scrutiny and members had the opportunity to have their grievances, disciplinary appeals and discharge and demotion appeals reviewed by an independent and impartial body. The addition of civilian review added a new level of accountability and transparency to the labour relations processes.

Over the past 20 years, the Committee has worked hard to provide impartial, independent findings and recommendations that are based on sound principles of law. Through its interventions, the Committee has also provided clarity and guidance for the interpretation of the RCMP Act, Regulations and policies, and identified systemic issues in the work environment.

For example, Committee recommendations in grievance cases have led to policy changes, in areas including the duty to accommodate disabled members, which resulted in improvements in the work place and a better quality of life for RCMP members.

Over the years, the Committee has always been a champion for procedural fairness in labour relations processes. It has consistently ensured that members have the right to be heard, the right to reasonable disclosure, the right to an unbiased decision maker, and the right to reasons that adequately explain decisions that affect them.

By focusing on the inherent fairness of the process, the Committee has contributed to better, more informed decisions at all levels in the RCMP labour relations process.

This concept of fairness has also been front and centre in the Committee's disciplinary appeal reviews. In keeping with the Marin Report's central recommendation that the RCMP disciplinary system be more remedial, rather than punitive, the Committee has recognized the significant value of individual members to the Force, and promoted a system focussed on correction and rehabilitation, rather than punishment.

The Committee has provided a strong voice on these issues. In its 2001 discussion paper, "Disciplinary Processes and Dispute Resolution Techniques in the RCMP", the Committee proposed amending the RCMP Act to increase the range of sanctions that could be administered by a Board - a recommendation that has since been repeated in both the Lordon and the Brown Task Force reports.

A small but equally important component of the Committee's work has involved discharge and demotion appeals, and here too the concept of fairness has been a primary focus of its findings and recommendations. The Committee has emphasized the importance of the Force providing meaningful assistance to members when they are faced with performance problems and potential career consequences which may flow from them.

Over and above its case work, the Committee undertakes a variety of outreach efforts in order to ensure that RCMP members, Force management, stakeholders, and the public are aware of the Committee's tangible contribution to better labour relations within the RCMP. This is achieved through our quarterly publication - the Communiqué - and our extensive website, which includes summaries of all of the Committee findings and recommendations, summaries of the Commissioner's subsequent decisions, and articles prepared by staff on a number of topics relevant to its work.

Maintaining an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders is also central to our outreach effort. In recent years, the Committee has met with the Commissioner, Staff Relations Representatives, and RCMP officials involved in labour relations processes . These meetings have served to share information on the Committee's work and to gain insight into the environment in which it evolves.

Sharing our beliefs and values with the public is also essential to ensure that the Committee is recognized as a partner in and a contributor to the advancement of RCMP labour relations. To this end, the Committee has made submissions to the Arar Commission, the Brown Task Force and the Public Accounts Committee to help raise awareness of RCMP labour relations issues.

In conclusion, the Committee's goal "To contribute to positive labour relations in the RCMP and thereby make a difference in the lives of RCMP members", remains as important and relevant today as it was 20 years ago.

We thank all of you who have worked with us in the past and we look forward to meeting and working with even more stakeholders in the years to come.

The Committee is extremely proud of the contribution that it has made over the last 20 years and is enthusiastic and optimistic about RCMP labour relations in the future.

Thank you.