MONCTON, N.B.RCMP officers were caught outgunned and ill-prepared to confront a gunman who targeted them on a warm summer night in 2014, a judge ruled Friday as he convicted the national police force of failing to provide its members with adequate use-of-force equipment and training.
Judge Leslie Jackson was harshly critical of how long it took the RCMP to equip its officers with carbine rifles ahead of the Moncton attack, which left three Mounties dead and two others injured.
Gunman Justin Bourque had targeted police officers in hopes of sparking an anti-government rebellion.
It is clear to me that the use-of-force equipment available to those members on June 4, 2014, left them ill-prepared to engage an assailant armed with an automatic rifle, said Jackson, a provincial court judge who presided over the Labour Code trial.
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The judge noted that Alphonse MacNeil, a retired assistant RCMP commissioner who conducted an independent review of the shootings for the force, stated during the trial that at the time of his review, he said the rollout of the patrol carbine program should be expedited.
I agree with MacNeils conclusion. The rollout took too long, even allowing for all the variables and challenges, the 64-page decision said.
The judge also accused RCMP leadership who were unanimous in saying officers were adequately equipped of sticking to talking points during testimony at the trial.
Their opinion is based on their observations made from the comfort and security of their offices; however the view of the responding officers who were facing imminent danger that day is different.
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C8 carbine rifles were not available to general duty officers at the time of the Moncton shootings, and numerous witnesses who testified at the RCMP trial said they could have made a difference.
Carbine rifles were approved for use in 2011, but their rollout was delayed on several occasions.
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In a statement issued from RCMP headquarters in Ottawa, it says the force will review the decision and consider the next steps.
The health and safety of our employees continues to be the top priority of the RCMP, it said. Todays verdict will not change the tragic reality that on June 4, 2014, we lost three friends and colleagues and nearly lost more to the actions of one man.
Jackson found the force guilty under the Labour Code of failing to provide its members with the appropriate use-of-force equipment and user training when responding to an active threat or active shooter in an open environment.
He found the RCMP not guilty of failing to provide its members with the necessary information, instruction and/or training when responding to an active threat or active shooter event in an open environment.
He also found the force not guilty of failing to provide its supervisory personnel with appropriate information, instruction and/or training to ensure the health and safety of RCMP members when responding to an active threat or active shooter event in an open environment.
He stayed a charge of failing to ensure, in general, the health and safety of its members.
