Mr. Mike Duheme
Commissioner
Royal Canadian Mounties Police
73 Prom. Leikin Dr, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R2
Dear Commissioner Duheme:
On behalf of the Union for Security and Justice Employees, I would like to take this opportunity again to formally extend my congratulations to you on your new role.
As National President of USJE, I represent eighteen thousand federal public service employees who work within 18 departments and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Public Safety, including approximately 7000 federal public service employees in the RCMP.
By way of background, as you may recall, I personally bring an extensive history with the federal Correctional Service as a former Community Parole Officer working in Winnipeg, Manitoba – plus 14 years of combined service as a Regional Vice President and National Vice President with USJE.
However, more importantly, as a senior leader, I take great pride in advocating on behalf of the thousands of public service employees within the RCMP who protect the public safety of Canadians each and every day through their support of the day-to-day operations of hundreds of RCMP detachments – and who provide expertise to the operational and investigative work of the RCMP’s extensive network of Regional and National Headquarters throughout the country.
As you transition into your new role, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience to brief you on some salient issues in regard to the RCMP and public safety. During past Commissioner Lucki’s tenure, we both made a concerted effort to meet together so we could focus on some pressing issues. USJE is wholly committed to ensuring that federal public service employees within the RCMP have sufficient access to professional training and development, fully understand the recourse available to them in the event of harassment or workplace violence, and have access to appropriate and timely mental health supports.
From USJE’s perspective, we are also eager to address the following concerns with you:
- The implementation of key recommendations to improve the effectiveness and working conditions of RCMP Detachment Services Assistants who, in their capacity as federal public service employees, are at the operational backbone of every RCMP Detachment in the country.
- USJE’s recent public efforts to champion the invaluable role that the RCMP and all its Regular (Uniformed), Civilian and public service members play in keeping Canadians safe throughout the country, including in provinces such as Alberta and British Columbia where the merits and value of the RCMP have been recently under much fire by certain provincial and municipal leaders.
- The recent removal of a small union office in RCMP’s C Division in Montreal, Quebec which had been in place for 15 years and provided an invaluable meeting space for federal public service employees who are predominantly female.
- Last but not least, the inclusion of federal public safety personnel in presumptive injury coverage through immediate amendments to the federal Government Employees Compensation Act. These amendments are required in order to rectify major gaps in provincial and territorial Worker’s Compensation legislation which frequently exclude thousands of federal public service employees, some of whom incur major psychological injuries owing to prolonged exposure to criminalized persons, evidence, related graphic materials, and victim information.
USJE has proven itself to be a dynamic, data-driven organization committed to strong public policy outcomes and well-trained and supported public safety personnel. We are immensely proud of the dedication and invaluable contributions that federal public service employees bring to RCMP operations every day, and are eager to work with you to strengthen the RCMP.
I look forward to meeting with you later this fall, and believe our dialogue will be beneficial in supporting you in advancing your mandate to improve public safety outcomes for all Canadians.
Sincerely,
David Neufeld
National President
Union of Safety Justice Employees