RCMP Officer Alleges Corruption and ‘Systemic Harassment’ in Discrimination Lawsuit

An officer who has served on the RCMP for almost 20 years is suing the force for “systematic harassment” he alleges started when he attempted to flag misdeeds by fellow officers.

In documents filed for his civil suit in BC Supreme Court, Ryan Letnes alleges serious misconduct by his fellow officers at the Airdrie RCMP detachment, which include withholding evidence and unlawfully laying charges.

As the CBC first reported, Letnes has also filed a case before the BC Human Rights tribunal regarding systematic discrimination arising from an eyesight disability—the tribunal has agreed to see the case.

The RCMP told VICE it could not comment on the lawsuit since the matter is before the courts.

The court filings for the civil case allege that Letnes began to be harassed when he attempted to blow the whistle on misconduct within the detachment including “intentionally laying criminal charges where there were no reasonable grounds,” withholding important documents from the Crown, and treating supervisor reports as “interpersonal grievance documents.” The lawsuit states Letnes brought these issues up to his superiors and as a result they systematically harassed him for close to a decade.

The civil claim paints a picture of a completely broken workplace where employees would actively attempt to demean and embarrass officers over petty grudges. Letnes, who was a watch commander during much of his time in Airdrie, claims that he was investigated by the RCMP as a result of flagging his fellow officers conduct, he alleges, and he had a GPS device put on his vehicle, was actively surveilled at his home by other officers. He said the two main harassers had interfered with his investigation into a “high-risk sex offender who had kidnapped a child.”

The lawsuit claims that, in 2012, Letnes sent a letter outlining his experiences to the Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP in confidence but that letter was shared with those who were harassing him. Within a few months, Letnes alleges in the lawsuit he was transferred to a BC detachment on the request of one of the harassing officers.

"Ryan saw wrongdoing taking place at a detachment that he worked at, he tried to bring it to the attention of people that should have taken action but [instead] he became a target and that eventually led him to filing this lawsuit,” said Rob Creasser, a media liaison officer for the Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada (MPPAC). The group—which is trying to unionize the RCMP and one that Letnes is a member of—is seeking interested party status in the case. Creasser told VICE that the ramifications of this case could ripple through the entire organizational structure of the RCMP.

The case before the human rights tribunal alleges that Letnes, who suffers from an eye condition that causes poor vision which arose in 2014, was discriminated against as a result of his disability—the complaint doesn’t specify what caused the condition. The lawsuit outlines that Letnes was passed over for administrative role promotions by co-workers who did not have disabilities—even if he was the recommended person for the promotion. Furthermore, Letnes attests that he faced systematic harassment because of his disability.

"There are procedures and policies within the RCMP that are being ignored in terms of finding people with disabilities positions that make them feel like a valuable part of the organization," said Creasser, noting he believes the RCMP is taking advantage of the fact that there is no union in place to fight for employees’ rights. "In Ryan's case, he wasn't accommodated in any way—he felt he [was capable of doing] work and wasn't afforded any opportunity to."

This is not the first time the RCMP has come under scrutiny for workplace harassment. In 2016, the federal police force paid out more than $100 million to hundreds of female employees who had been harassed as the result of a class action lawsuit. At the time, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson said that the force needed to address an underlying “culture of bullying and intimidation and general harassment.” Creasser said one of the biggest issues RCMP culture is the people in charge don’t have a reason to change.

"I think that nothing is going to happen if you try and ask the people that have benefited the most by the culture itself to change it," said Creasser. "They're not going to dig in their own backyard. There has to be a movement from the ground up."

"We believe that cases like this are going to continue to come forward until change comes."

You can read Letnes’ civil filings here and his human rights filings here.

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