Bastarache report - Recruiting
Classification: Unclassified
Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes
Branch/Agency: RCMP
Issue:
Many recommendations in the Bastarache report highlighted the need to closely examine the RCMP police officer recruitment process
Proposed Response:
- It is critical that the RCMP is able to attract and retain people that are strong in character and skill – and can bring diverse perspectives to the table.
- The modernization of recruitment is an ongoing priority and the RCMP has made important progress, aligned with the recommendations in the Independent Assessor’s report.
- The RCMP wants to look at all aspects of their process, and this starts with defining who they are looking for and identifying the tools they need to assess them.
- In 2018, the RCMP used GBA+ to review the RCMP recruitment process, which identified potential barriers for key groups and spurred the development of a modernization plan.
- Work is ongoing with outside experts to review and redefine: the attributes and characteristics required for modern policing; modern aptitude assessment tools; and new screening tools for bias in relation to gender, race and other factors.
- The Independent Assessor has suggested the RCMP require that applicants have a minimum of 2 years of post-secondary education, and I can tell you that among 2020 applicants, over three-quarters had post-secondary credentials.
- Education requirements will continue to be considered as part of overall recruitment modernization.
- GBA+ is also currently being used to examine the modernization of the RCMP’s security screening process, to ensure it is bias-free.
- The RCMP continues to explore ways to remove recruitment barriers for diverse groups of people
- They are advancing new ways to recruit civilians into specialized fields, including to support the federal criminal investigative mandate.
- They are examining opportunities to ensure equity by supporting particular groups of people in the application process.
Background:
Specific recommendations that identified recruiting, and progress to date, are as follows:
Recommendation 21:
How are prospective RCMP employees screened to weed out “bad apples”? Since they still seem to get through, what changes are you making to the screening process?
- All police officers are expected to conform to behavior standards and our code of conduct. At several stages during the recruiting process, every applicant is made aware of the behavior standards they are expected to follow throughout the application process, their training at Depot, and their career as a RCMP police officer.
- The RCMP application process is thorough and includes various screening tools designed to ensure that applicants meet the high standards required of police officers.
- The RCMP is modernizing our recruiting process to focus on attracting applicants who possess the attributes and characteristics needed for policing, in a modern policing organization. Areas of where change is being considered include procuring a new entrance exam, implementing implicit bias testing, developing new mechanisms to assess applicants’ suitability for policing, and increasing the use of technology to support the applicants as they navigate the recruiting program.
- The Officer Candidate Process (OCP), the process by which officers apply to the senior ranks, requires candidates to go through a comprehensive assessment including a review committee, a structured interview and an extensive reference checks. The process will be enhanced to require candidates to participate in a Character Leadership assessment as a condition for proceeding through the process.
Recommendation 22:
Do you think that increasing the educational requirements for applicants will increase the calibre of applicants?
- The RCMP is not focussing on educational requirements in the short term. Rather, they are modernizing our recruiting process by focusing on attracting and assessing applicants for the attributes and characteristics needed for policing, in a modern policing organization.
- Adjusting educational requirements for application as a police officer remains a consideration for the medium-term.
Recommendation 25:
The RCMP has placed a high priority on recruiting cadets from groups traditionally underrepresented in policing. If these new recruits are then subjected to systemic racism, harassment and discrimination inside the RCMP, how will this help to reform the RCMP’s culture?
- The RCMP is making progress toward culture change though its Vision 150 and People Strategy and Equity Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
- The EDI Strategy in particular will see concrete action taken across Divisions and Business Lines to ensure that Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees are included and valued in our organization.
- These efforts are coupled with modernizing the RCMP’s application requirements and processes to identify and remove barriers to prospective high-potential RCMP applicants from Indigenous, Black and other racialized groups. Changes to the recruiting process focus on attracting candidates who possess the attributes and characteristics needed for policing, in a modern policing organization.
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