Watchdog says military police still resisting civilian oversight

David Baxter · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 17, 2025 5:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The subject constabulary watchdog says absorption to civilian oversight successful the Canadian Forces provost marshal's bureau "worsened" past year.

The Military Police Complaints Commission released a study Tuesday accusing the provost marshal's bureau oregon CFPM — which commands each subject constabulary successful Canada — of "shutting down" complaints based connected a "dubious" mentation of the National Defence Act.

In its report, the watchdog said the provost marshal's bureau has been failing to counsel complainants of their close to person their cases reviewed by the complaints committee arsenic required by law, and is routinely refusing to respond to complaints made successful interference cases.

Interference cases travel up erstwhile a subject constabulary subordinate files a ailment alleging that a subordinate of the Canadian Armed Forces oregon a elder authoritative successful the Department of National Defence has attempted to power an investigation.

"These issues not lone persisted but person worsened. In 2024, the [provost marshal] interpreted the National Defence Act successful a mode that avoids civilian autarkic oversight. The concern escalated from absorption to outright refusal to respect the oversight authorities mandated by Parliament," the study said.

It says the provost marshal is "shutting down complaints" and "hindering the civilian oversight of the subject police."

Tammy Tremblay, Military Police Complaints Commission chair, declined an interrogation request.

Office says recommendations 'considered carefully'

Lt.-Cmdr. Melanie Aqiqi, nationalist affairs serviceman astatine the provost marshal's office, said that they "acknowledge the criticism" successful the watchdog study and stay "fully committed" to the commission's mandate.

"The CFPM acknowledges that the mentation of this legislative model is astatine times antithetic than that of the [commission]. Most notably, arsenic it relates to the disclosure of information," Aqiqi said successful an emailed response.

"All recommendations from the MPCC are considered cautiously with a presumption to determining their merit, practicality and effectiveness to bring affirmative changes."

The study accuses the provost marshal's bureau of "terminating" complaints without an probe erstwhile a transgression probe is launched.

The study said complaints are expected to beryllium paused pending the completion of a transgression probe and immoderate judicial proceedings. However, the study said that this twelvemonth the provost marshal's bureau began to "simply terminate" immoderate complaints without investigating them.

Aqiqi denied this claim.

"Regarding ongoing transgression proceedings, this is ne'er utilized arsenic a instrumentality to debar ailment investigations. In immoderate instances, a transgression probe whitethorn beryllium a much due mode to code a ailment received nether the act," she said.

"Should this beryllium the case, the subject constabulary necessitate transgression proceedings to beryllium concluded anterior to proceeding."

Report calls for further reform

The study calls for National Defence Act betterment to guarantee the committee has the quality to entree "information indispensable to analyse complaints."

"Without this legislative reform, determination is simply a hazard that the barriers the MPCC faces successful exercising its mandate proceed to dilute the volition of Parliament successful establishing an oversight strategy for the subject police," the study said.

The study besides says that idiosyncratic members of the subject constabulary "respect and understand" the watchdog's mandate and the occupation of "refusal of civilian oversight" stems from elder leadership.

Aqiqi said that the provost marshal's bureau remains committed to a "fair, transparent and autarkic process" to code nationalist complaints.

Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan took implicit bid of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal's bureau successful December, replacing Maj.-Gen. Simon Trudeau, who had held the presumption for six-and-a-half years.