An Update from the Commissioners – April 22, 2022

Schedule for the week of April 25

The Commission’s calendar for next week has been updated with the details for next week including Foundational Documents to be shared, witnesses to be heard from and information about an upcoming roundtable. The calendar will continue to be updated on Fridays with details for the following week.

Monday, April 25 

• Presentation of Foundational Document: Police Paraphernalia
• Presentation regarding lifecycle of police uniforms, equipment and vehicles

• Presentation of Foundational Document: Confirmation of Replica RCMP Cruiser
• Witness: Max Liberatore. Max Liberatore is an employee at GC Surplus and will provide information regarding the perpetrator’s police paraphernalia, including uniform items and decals for the decommissioned replica RCMP cruiser.

Tuesday, April 26 

• Participant Submissions: Participants with substantive input to provide to the Commission with regard to Access to and Regulation of Police Uniforms, Equipment, and Vehicles are invited to indicate their wish to make written and/or brief oral submissions to Commission counsel by noon on April 25 so that time can be allocated for these submissions on April 26.

Wednesday, April 27 

• Roundtable: Police Paraphernalia and Police Impersonators. Visit the website for more details on what to expect including the names of members for the roundtable.

Interim Report

We are on track to complete our interim report by May 1, 2022. This report will share our progress to date and the steps we anticipate taking as we continue to fulfill our mandate. It will not include recommendations, as the process of fact-finding is still ongoing. As required by the Commission’s Orders in Council, the interim report will be submitted to the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia, after which it will be shared by the Commission on our website.

Phase 2 Proceedings

The Commission’s second phase of public proceedings begin this week, running concurrently with Phase 1, and will continue through the summer. During Phase 2 we will broaden the focus of our work to explore how and why the mass casualty happened, considering the causes, contexts and circumstances that may have contributed. Phase 2 is a bridge to the Commission’s forward-focused Phase 3 work of identifying lessons to be learned and developing meaningful recommendations for the future.

While the Commission begins to explore the larger context, its Phase 1 work to understand the facts of what happened will continue. We will hear from more witnesses, including senior ranking RCMP officers. In addition to the Commissioner’s March 9 Decision with respect to witnesses, additional witnesses to be subpoenaed are being considered on a rolling basis and more names will be added to the schedule in coming weeks.

Presentation of additional Foundational Documents and hearing from witnesses will build on what we have learned during proceedings so far about what happened, exploring issues identified in the Commission’s mandate, including:

• Police resources and decision making
• Public communications
• Understanding mass casualties
• Supporting communities after a mass casualty
• Gender-based and intimate partner violence
• Access to firearms.

In addition to those ongoing proceedings, Phase 2 will include additional activities including:

• Public release of Commissioned Reports: These are prepared by independent report writers to help the Commission better understand the related issues in the mandate: These reports focus on public policy, academic research and lessons learned from previous mass casualties. A list of reports to expect is available on our website. The first set of Commissioned Reports will be shared next week and will be available on our website on the Research and Commissioned Report webpage.

• Roundtables: These will involve experts and other individuals with helpful knowledge who will provide their insights on relevant issues through public, facilitated discussions. This is an opportunity for us to learn more about issues related to why and how various aspects of the mass casualty happened. Roundtables have been effectively used in Canadian public inquiries, such as the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario, the BC Missing Women’s Inquiry (referred to as ‘forums’), and the Public Inquiry Respecting Ground Search and Rescue for Lost and Missing Persons’ in Newfoundland. Countries across the world also use this type of approach focused on gathering insights and context to inform recommendations including the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia.
• Small Group Sessions: These will involve the Commissioners hearing directly from people with direct and related experiences taking part in public, facilitated sessions, helping us to better understand the impacts of the mass casualty.

These Phase 2 activities will be led by members of the Commission’s Research and Policy team and others, while counsel will continue to focus on other aspects of the proceedings. The expectation is that these Phase 2 activities are non-adversarial opportunities for us, the Commissioners, to hear directly from people with knowledge and experience to share. As with Phase 1, all Phase 2 activities will be held in public and webcast, in the presence of media, with transcripts posted online afterwards.

Public Submissions

As we broaden our focus to explore why and how the mass casualty happened, we want to make sure we have gathered input on these issues from all possible sources, including members of the public who have experience in these areas, either professionally or personally. Our public submissions process will provide an opportunity for the public to share perspectives and help inform the recommendations we will share in our final report. Starting next week, you will be able to submit your suggestions, written submissions, and any additional information, such as research articles, via our website. We encourage you to review the Commission’s mandate, list of Commissioned Reports, and continue to engage in public proceedings to inform your submissions. Submissions will be accepted through to the summer.

How to Stay Updated

You can watch the webcasts or listen to live audio from the proceedings by calling 1-877-385-4099 (toll free) and entering code 1742076 followed by the # sign. Recordings of the webcasts along with transcripts are available, so that you may engage in the Commission’s work at a time that works best for you.

Members of the public can register to attend proceedings in person on the Commission’s website. The venues for public proceedings change periodically so please use the registration portal or website calendar to confirm locations on the date you wish to attend. For the week of April 25, proceedings will be held at the Halifax Prince George Hotel. Due to the capacity of this venue, general public registration is limited.

Thanks to your continuing engagement, we are making progress in our work and sharing answers with the public about what happened. All of the Foundational Documents presented by Commission counsel so far are available on our website, along with source materials and an archive of the webcasts of proceedings.

Phase 3

Building on this progress, at the end of Phase 2 proceedings we will have identified a comprehensive list of issues regarding the context, circumstances and causes of the mass casualty. Phase 3 public proceedings, starting in September, will seek input on these issues and potential recommendations, by way of community, and stakeholder sessions and submissions from Participants and the public.

As we continue to make progress, much of the information related to the Commission remains difficult to hear — particularly for people most affected by the mass casualty. Supports are available if you or someone you know needs help, both on-site at the proceedings and through the Commission’s website.

Sincerely,

The Mass Casualty Commission

Hon. J. Michael MacDonald, Chair

Leanne J. Fitch (Ret. Police Chief, M.O.M.)

Dr. Kim Stanton