Bill C-20: An Act establishing the Public Complaints and Review Commission and amending certain Acts and statutory instruments is an overdue bill that attempts to respond to the longstanding call to create a dedicated independent review and complaints process for the activities of the CBSA and make changes to the RCMP review process – amalgamating both under a Public Complaints and Review Commissi. [...] Aspects that should be addressed include: - the need to ensure the independence of the PCRC’s operations; - the PCRC’s independent access to information; - ensuring there is a mechanism for complaints on systemic issues; - third-party complaints; and - broadening the PCRC’s redress and recourse powers. [...] The Commission should be independent and adequately resourced PRINCIPLE: The effectiveness of the Commission is undermined by the proposal for it to report to and be funded by the Minister responsible for both the RCMP and CBSA. [...] The Commission should investigate complaints instead of the RCMP and CBSA PRINCIPLE: Given the systemic racism that has been acknowledged to plague both the RCMP and CBSA, leaving them to investigate themselves leads to an apprehension of bias by design and may exasperate existing problems. [...] In the alternative, the need to ensure effective investigation of complaints in a timely manner PRINCIPLE: Oversight by the Commission must not be rendered meaningless by lengthy delays in the initial investigation of complaints by the CBSA and RCMP.
- Pages
- 4
- Published in
- Canada
