The federal Liberals are calling on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to apologize for questioning the independence and integrity of the RCMP after he accused the nation’s police of covering up for the Liberal government.
In an interview posted online last week with the YouTube channel Northern Perspective, Poilievre said former prime minister Justin Trudeau broke the law when he took a free vacation, a reference to the 2016 Aga Khan scandal.
The Conservative leader also said the former prime minister “probably” broke the law during the SNC-Lavalin affair.
“If the RCMP had been doing its job and not covering up for him, then he would have been criminally charged,” said Poilievre.
“The leadership of the RCMP is frankly just despicable when it comes to enforcing laws against the Liberal government.”
During question period on Monday Liberal House Leader Steve MacKinnon called on Poilievre to “make amends” and apologize from the floor of the House of Commons.
“The leader of the opposition put into question the independence of our judiciary, of the independence of our prosecutors, of the police, in fact the very police that put their lives on the line to protect him,” he said.
“He should say sorry for what he said. We don’t do that in Canada.”
Poilievre did not apologize and accused the Liberals of trying to distract from the rising cost of living in Canada.
However, he appeared to soften his stance toward the current makeup of the RCMP in an off-camera written statement.
“I stand shoulder to shoulder with the brave men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve. Today and every day, I thank them for their service,” it reads.
He doubled down on his allegations that the force in recent years has worked to protect the Liberal government.
“My comments were directed to former RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki who has a lengthy track record of publicly documented scandals, deception and political interference to the benefit of the Liberal government,” said the statement.
The leader’s comments have spurred sharp criticism and comparisons to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called on his critics to be jailed.
“I’ts deeply worrying because this is the type of thing going on right now in Trump’s United States. Political enemies can become then persecuted through law enforcement,” said Green Party Leader Elizabth May.
“I don’t like that language in Canadain politics.
In an op-ed published in the Toronto Star, Dimitri Soudas, a former adviser to Stephen Harper, said Poilievre was “dismantling the principled, trustworthy Conservative Party we tried to build.”
A spokesperson for Harper said the op-ed does not reflect his view.
In the face of that backlash, the Opposition leader’s office instructed Conservative MPs Monday to echo that more positive message about the Mounties.
Talking points sent to Conservative MPs who may face questions about Poilievre’s controversial remarks were first obtained by the Toronto Star and also shared with CBC News and Radio-Canada.
The talking points advise MPs that they should underscore that the Conservatives believe the RCMP plays an important role and have promised during the election campaign to provide additional resources for the force.
“It was and remains the Conservatives’ position that the former RCMP commissioner was misleading Canadians and engaging in a coverup for the government, which is why we called for her resignation on Oct. 21, 2022.”
The Mounties have said repeatedly there was insufficient evidence to lay charges in the SNC-Lavalin affair, which rocked Parliament back in 2019.
During question period in Ottawa on Monday, Liberal House Leader Steven MacKinnon asks Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to apologize to the RCMP after he called the national police force’s leadership “despicable.” Poilievre did not apologize during question period, but he released a statement saying his comments were directed to the former RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki.
The ethics commissioner found Trudeau broke the Conflict of Interest Act when he tried to influence his then-justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to overrule a decision by the director of public prosecutions to not grant a deferred prosecution agreement to Quebec-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin, since rebranded to AtkinsRéalis.
At the time, Commissioner Mike Duheme said the investigation was made more challenging by a lack of access to cabinet confidences, but said he’s “very comfortable” with the decision not to pursue criminal charges.
Responding last week to Poilievre’s comments, Duheme — who oversaw the RCMP’s national division and federal policing before getting promoted to the top job in 2023 — said “there was no interference.”
“I don’t take any orders from any political individual,” he said.
“And as far as his comment in regards to senior management, I would invite Mr. Poilievre to meet with us and meet with the people who run this great organization.”
While the RCMP is accountable to the government it is meant to have operational independence, especially in investigations, to shield against political interference.
One of the recommendations from the inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia called to better define operational independence in legislation.
In an update earlier this year the force said it’s developing internal guidance and policies to better “protect the decision-making of RCMP incident commanders, investigators, and front-line members from undue government intervention or advice.”
