Summary of the Evaluation of the RCMP’s Reconciliation Actions (2016-2021)

Context

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) "Calls to Action", and the "Calls to Justice" of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry, have led to a greater awareness among Canadians to account for the harm inflicted in the past, and to respect Indigenous people, communities and culture. Reconciliation provides a pathway based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has indicated it is committed to moving forward to earn the trust and confidence of Indigenous communities.
This evaluation reflected on the history and evolving context of reconciliation in Canada, and looked ahead to consider internal mechanisms and approaches for continuous improvement for the RCMP's actions.

What we examined

This formative evaluation explored the extent to which organizational capacity is in place to support RCMP reconciliation actions with Indigenous peoples. It looked at the following internal mechanisms: governance, coordination and resources; strategic planning; performance measurement; external collaboration; recruitment and retention; and, cultural knowledge building.

How we developed findings and recommendations

50 Interviews
with RCMP stakeholders
Performance Data
AGORA, Human Resources Management Information System, Client and Partner Surveys
Document Review
120 internal documents
News Media Analysis
100 articles from 2020-21
Literature Review
45 external sources
2 Internal Surveys
  • senior executives (27/36=75% response rate)
  • Indigenous Policing Services staff (32/64=50% response rate)

What we found

  • Overall, the evaluation found that the RCMP has been increasingly advancing reconciliation actions through a variety of means, including actions toward better collaborative engagement with Indigenous stakeholders and Indigenous cultural knowledge building.
  • Gaps in mechanisms to coordinate and communicate internally have led to missed synergies across the broad mix of functional areas working to advance reconciliation actions. There is currently no national strategic plan with priorities and a road map to achieve them.
  • Given anticipated further decline of recruitment and retention of Indigenous employees, there is a need to broaden efforts to enhance the representation of Indigenous employees across the organization.
  • The strengthening of coordination mechanisms will be a key first step to ensuring reconciliation priorities move forward efficiently and effectively.

What we recommend

Based on the findings of the evaluation, the following recommendations were made:

  1. Improve the coordination of reconciliation actions across the organization by strengthening oversight and capacity.
  2. Build and implement national strategies and tools to strengthen planning for and reporting on reconciliation, based on the principle of "Nothing About Us Without Us".
  3. Review existing recruitment and retention practices to enhance the representation of Indigenous employees.
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