Dear Dr. Montaner,

On 2008-10-08 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was made aware of a request submitted by Pivot Legal Society seeking an examination by the Auditor-General of the commissioning of academic articles by the RCMP on Insite, Vancouver’s supervised injection site. The allegations made in the Pivot application regarding possible politically motivated research are of a serious nature and are deserving of response.

It is important to reaffirm the interest of the RCMP with respect to the establishment and evaluation of Insite as a supervised injection site. Our responsibility to develop enforcement responses and internal policy associated to enforcement of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act accounts for our role as an interested stakeholder in public policy matters regarding controlled substances. It is our responsibility as a national and provincial policing agency to provide expert subject-matter feedback on related issues from a public safety perspective, as may be requested, to government, our contracting partners and the public.

In these and other matters, the RCMP is firmly committed to the principle that public policy having the potential to impact public safety should be evaluated by research adhering to the highest available standards of objectivity, academic quality and transparency. In practice, this means a commitment to objective, peer-reviewed research from credible sources, and a willingness to approach research findings and their implications in an open-minded fashion. Further to this commitment, the Force affirms the legitimacy of our original engagement of Dr. Ray Corrado and Dr. Irwin Cohen to conduct research on matters related to Insite, and believes their completed research on these issues to be rigorous, credible, and an important good faith contribution to public debate. Dr. Corrado’s report in particular indicated that much more work was required, and more data incorporated, to pass meaningful judgement on the public safety impact of Insite.

The allegations made by Pivot Legal are taken seriously and are under review. Internal enquiry and consideration of the materials identified suggest that some of the actions and statements in question – subsequently attributed by media sources to RCMP employees – in fact originated from retired RCMP and/or non-RCMP personnel. However, regardless of their origin, the Force categorically condemns the sentiments and derogatory tone found within these comments.

The most serious aspects of the Pivot application concern research commissioned subsequent to the completion of studies by Drs. Corrado and Cohen. It is alleged that the RCMP and/or one or more of its Members allowed personal political views to intrude on our responsibility to engage in a fair and impartial manner in public discourse concerning matters of public safety; and that, in addition, attempts were made to create an appearance of independence for research which may have been funded by the Force. As these allegations are directly linked to the relationship of trust between the public and the RCMP, a relationship which is vital for us to maintain in the impartial execution of our duties, an internal review of the circumstances surrounding this research activity is currently underway and its findings will be disclosed in due course. It would be a matter of significant concern to the Force should these allegations be founded.

As we take these steps to ensure that the RCMP’s current and future engagement with research merits and supports beyond doubt the level of trust placed in us by Canadians, it is also important to us to continue to build and solidify our relationship with our partners in government, in the research community, and the public concerning important questions of public policy. Opinions on matters such as these cannot be formed in isolation: this is a multi-faceted issue which requires input from a range of expertise in related fields. The RCMP recognizes that the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is a global leader in HIV/AIDS research. As you know, in the last week we have communicated with the office of the Provincial Health Officer and with the CFE to underscore our commitment to resolve this matter, and look forward to meeting with CFE researchers to address any concerns that you may have.

The role of the RCMP as regards research into significant matters of public policy is one of providing or facilitating appropriate, evidence-based contributions based on evident subject-matter expertise. Our belief in the value of research is manifest in RCMP “E” Division’s current five-year engagement with the Institute of Canadian Urban Research Studies at two BC universities to develop a rigorous research backdrop to our operations. We have chosen to move explicitly in this direction as a key component of our commitment to Crime Reduction, recognizing that a commitment to rely on objective, high-quality research is an attribute shared by all credible contributors to public policy, and welcome the challenge this standard represents. As we respond to this matter we welcome any subsequent communication or enquiry from the Auditor-General.

Sincerely,

///Original Signed by:///

Gary D. Bass, O.O.M.
Deputy Commissioner - Pacific Region
& Commanding Officer, “E” Division