Blue Line

News
‘You are not a leader’: RCMP corporal denounces Paulson’s Moncton testimony

An RCMP corporal who was a friend of three murdered Mounties is publicly condemning the commissioner’s testimony last week as a clear failure of leadership.

June 22, 2017  By The Canadian Press


Commissioner Bob Paulson told the RCMP’s Labour Code trial in the 2014 Moncton shootings that management had concerns over the possible militarization of the force as it prepared to arm officers with high-powered carbine rifles.

Cpl. Patrick Bouchard, who is stationed in the Sunny Corner detachment in New Brunswick, says when he read that and other testimony he decided to post an open letter on his Facebook page.

He says in the letter that the RCMP shouldn’t risk officer safety over concerns about the image of the force, and he also says he holds Paulson, who is close to retirement, “personally responsible for the deaths of my friends.”

The national force was charged with failing to provide appropriate gear and training after Justin Bourque’s shooting rampage that left three officers dead and two injured in Moncton.

Advertisement

The C8 carbine rifles — a version of an assault rifle similar to an M16 — were not available to general duty officers during Bourque’s shooting spree, and several witnesses at the trial have testified they could have made a difference.

News from © Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. 2017


Print this page

Advertisement

Stories continue below