Two years in, the RCMP's independent process for harassment complaints is plagued by delays

RCMP employees have lodged hundreds of sexual assault and harassment complaints with a new independent body since its creation two years ago — but according to some of the people who've used it, the process has been afflicted by long delays.

"For these things to be effective, you need somebody to address these issues immediately, a timely investigation," said lawyer Sherry Shir, whose client took the RCMP to court alleging her complaint was dismissed improperly. 

"And the process is still missing that very, very significant piece."

Launched on June 30, 2021, the Independent Centre for Harassment Resolution (ICHR) was born in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal in the ranks of the RCMP.

A historic class-action lawsuit saw the government pay out more than $125 million to 2,304 women who were sexually assaulted and harassed as Mounties.

Many of the women involved in that case complained about having to take their cases up the chain of command — to superiors they claimed were in some cases responsible for the offending behaviour, or had acted to protect others.

The ICHR uses external third-party investigators to ensure impartiality.

Despite the promise of a fairer process, Shir said her client Nicole Patapoff's experience has been frustrating — and it's not over yet. 

According to court documents, Patapoff was completing her mandatory firearms training following maternity leave on June 8, 2021. She alleges the officer in command of the training course told her to "go home, get a bottle of Windex and get into [my] kitchen and bathroom and just start cleaning" to strengthen her trigger finger.

The eight-year veteran said in an affidavit the comments were "unnecessary, misogynistic, belittling, offensive, disrespectful and demeaning."

She complained to the ICHR and waited 10 months for an investigator to be assigned to her case. After a total of 18 months, the investigator concluded the matter didn't meet the definition of harassment under the Canadian Labour Code.

"The force is no longer a place where one gender works, nor is it a place run by one particular race," they  wrote in the decision, quoted in court documents. "It is inevitable during this transition, that old style actions and comments might be used and this will continue in the future and hopefully less so as members are better educated."

Shir called those comments "absolutely ridiculous."

According to court documents, the investigator was removed from the ICHR's list of approved investigators following Patapoff's complaint and was no longer allowed to investigate complaints involving RCMP officers.