Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: Minister, the Government of Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory states that the RCMP reported 98 kilotonnes of GHG emissions in fiscal year 2020-21 from national safety and security operations. This is a 56% increase over fiscal year 2005-06. How do you plan to ensure compliance with Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, taking into account existing green technologies and the financial and operational capabilities of the RCMP?

Hon. Marty Klyne: Minister, as the former CEO of the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina, I’m proud that the force is an iconic Canadian symbol around the world. At their best, Mounties serve us with the core values of honestly, integrity, professionalism, compassion, accountability and respect. It is a credit to Canada on the world stage that the RCMP will be supporting war crime investigations of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. However, Canadians are aware that deep cultural changes are required within the RCMP to consistently uphold core values, both internally and for all Canadians the force serves.

Minister, what cultural change is afoot within the force, and could you also update us on your support for First Nations policing?

The Hon. the Speaker: Order, please. Senator Wells, you asked your question. The minister is answering. If you do not like your answer, you can take it up with the minister afterwards.

One of those powers allowed the RCMP, in conjunction with financial institutions, to seize assets, but it was for the purposes of restoring public safety, which we were able to do with the least amount of force, the least amount of injuries and certainly no fatalities. I think that is something we should be grateful for given the challenge of the situation.

I know that since we’ve revoked the Emergencies Act that the RCMP and financial institutions have been taking steps to appropriately render those accounts that were frozen and —

Senator Boisvenu: Is the RCMP required to respect Canadian laws, yes or no?

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: Senator, first, I’ll assure you that there will be transparency about the ways in which we are enhancing and modernizing contract policing services across this country. As you will you know and others in this chamber may know, the RCMP has recently become unionized, which is to say there’s representation of rank and file in the collective bargaining process that sets out, among other things, how we provide the RCMP with the resources and the tools they need in the communities where the RCMP has been contracted to provide policing services. I’ll just tell you a little bit about how that process is unfolding.

My officials, along with other branches within the government, are engaged directly with those provinces that have contracted through police service agreements with the RCMP. They are also engaged at the municipal level to ensure there is a way forward so that those communities and provinces that contracted the RCMP can recruit and retain the labour force that is necessary to ensure that we are providing public safety right across this country. We will be very transparent about how that process unfolds going forward.

[Translation]

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Minister, the lack of a response to my first question is very troubling and leads me to believe that the RCMP thinks it’s above the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

As the person responsible for enforcing laws in Canada, what would you say to the Savoie family in New Brunswick, who have been waiting 15 years for the RCMP to inform them of the circumstances surrounding the death of their 17-year-old daughter, who was killed by an impaired driver?

What would you say to the families in Portapique who are being denied the right to participate in the public inquiry into the killing of 22 people?

Is the RCMP not accountable to victims of crime and their families?

Regarding your question specifically, there is a process for victims, and there are principles enshrined in several laws to protect their rights. They have access to information on the justice system, and it is our government’s duty to defend the rights of victims so they can obtain justice.

[English]