New RCMP boss vows to rise above lack of police experience

Last Updated: Friday, July 6, 2007 | 10:43 PM ET

CBC News

Career bureaucrat William Elliott tackled criticism head-on Friday about his appointment as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's first commissioner without policing experience, saying he is ready to take on the challenges facing the embattled force.

William Elliott acknowledged that, as a civilian, he will face challenges running the RCMP.
(CBC)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's appointment of the federal civil servant as the 20th RCMP commissioner has raised questions from some about whether he'll be able to break into the tight-knit community.

"I don't wear rose-coloured glasses," Elliott said in French, adding in English: "I am not a police officer and I am not from within the RCMP. So clearly I'm going to have to rely even more on the experiences of the police officers who are there.

"That is a challenge that my predecessor did not face. But I strongly believe that I bring other experiences and other skills to bear."

On July 16, the high-level bureaucrat will officially take the reins from interim commissioner Beverley Busson, who has filled the vacancy since Giuliano Zaccardelli stepped down seven months ago after admitting to giving incorrect testimony on the Maher Arar affair to a Commons committee.

The force has been rocked by scandal over the past year, including allegations by several Mounties that managers covered up mismanagement of the RCMP's pension fund and insurance plans. Last month, a special investigator's report recommended the force be reorganized, saying its governance is "horribly broken."

Many Mounties have argued one of their own, who understands the force's unique culture and structure, was needed to clean up the organization, while others say an outsider would be free of loyalties and willing to shake things up.

Elliott has served as national security adviser to two prime ministers, Stephen Harper and Paul Martin — experience Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said has acquainted him with the RCMP and security threats facing Canadians, such as organized crime and terrorism.

"I know he'll do an extremely good job in this role," Day said in announcing the appointment Friday morning.

Elliott is trained as a lawyer and has worked in a variety of government departments over the past 25 years, most recently as the associate deputy minister at Public Safety Canada. His time in government has also included several years as deputy commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard.

'Mountain to climb'

Ron Lewis, a retired RCMP staff sergeant who was among those who blew the whistle on the force's mismanagement of its pension fund, said the appointment of a bureaucrat will diminish the force's independence.

"The RCMP is supposed to be arm's-length from the government. I believe the arm just got very short."

Lewis warned that the bureaucrat will face distrust from his colleagues, who blame government interference for some of the problems plaguing the force today. He also has the monumental task of not only taking over a complex organization he is unfamiliar with, but also one in crisis.

"That's quite a mountain to climb," Lewis said.

Others, however, argue Elliott's knowledge of the inner workings of the federal government will be a significant advantage.

"He understands Ottawa well, he understands policy well and will be able to implement the kinds of changes that are necessary," said Norman Inkster, who served as Canada's top cop from 1987 to 1994 and was on the selection committee that recommended Elliott's appointment.

The president of the Canadian Police Association said it's important to have an outsider at the helm.

"The problem was a problem of culture and a lack of accountability," Tony Cannavino said. "The perception, if you named someone [internal], would have been, 'OK, nothing is going to change.'"

Giuliano Zaccardelli resigned a day after he told a Commons committee that he 'made a mistake' in earlier testimony.
(Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

Zaccardelli resigned in December after admitting he gave incorrect testimony on the Maher Arar affair to a Commons committee.

The resignation came a day after Zaccardelli told the committee on public safety that he "made a mistake" in earlier testimony about the Mounties' involvement in the Arar case.

Arar, a Canadian citizen born in Syria, was stopped at a New York airport on his way home from a vacation in September 2002. U.S. officials accused him of links to al-Qaeda and deported him to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured for months.

Zaccardelli and the RCMP weathered criticism last fall after an inquiry into the case released a report that concluded the U.S. decision to deport Arar was "very likely" based on inaccurate and misleading information provided by the Mounties that suggested the Ottawa computer engineer was linked to the militants.