RCMP Members Were Disciplined for Participating in Freedom Convoy Protests

Police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations on Feb. 19, 2022. The Canadian Press/Cole Burston

Members of the RCMP who participated in the anti-COVID restrictions protests of winter 2022 were disciplined, the federal police force has confirmed.

RMCP spokesperson Sgt. Kim Chamberland told The Epoch Times in a statement that further details about the number of members involved or the type of sanctions they received cannot be provided, since breaches to the RCMP’s Code of Conduct “are not associated with specific events in time.”

The participation of RCMP members in the Freedom Convoy and associated protests in 2022 was first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter in late August, citing a briefing document for former RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.

“The RCMP is aware that past and former members participated in, or potentially supported the protests in some manner,” says the document, prepared by the RCMP before Lucki’s appearance before a parliamentary committee in April 2022.

The Epoch Times asked the RCMP to clarify whether “past and former” should instead read “current and former.”

In response, Sgt. Chamberland said the RCMP is “aware of members who did not behave in accordance with the Code of Conduct of the RCMP by participating in the protests, and as a result, faced disciplinary actions.”

“Allegations and measures are dependent on the case and are not automatic,” she said, noting how the RCMP is required to examine each case according to its specific circumstances, including aggravating and mitigating factors and other legal obligations.

The RCMP union, the National Police Federation, declined to comment on the matter.

Cross-country protests erupted in the winter of 2022 in opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic-related restrictions. Hundreds of trucks descended on Ottawa in January while protesters blocked border crossings elsewhere in the country.

The Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act in response on Feb. 14, with the Ottawa protest being cleared by police a few days after.

The Public Order Emergency Commission, tasked with investigating the invoking of the act, concluded in February 2023. In his decision, Commissioner Paul Rouleau said with “reluctance” that the “very high threshold for invocation” had been met.

The commission’s decision differed from a federal court judge’s ruling in January that there was “no national emergency justifying the invocation of the Emergencies Act and the decision to do so was therefore unreasonable and ultra vires [beyond lawful authority].” The federal government has since launched an appeal.

Some police officers in different jurisdictions, including in Ottawa, were sympathetic to the cross-country protest movement against COVID-19 restrictions.

The RCMP expressed concerns this could lead to the leak of operational plans to protesters, according to an official document obtained by CBC News via the access-to-information system.

“Those who have not lost their jobs but are sympathetic to the movement and their former colleagues may be in a position to share law enforcement or military information to the convoy protests,” the document reportedly says.

At least one former RCMP officer, Daniel Bulford, was involved with the Convoy organizers, alongside some former Canadian Armed Forces members.

Police officers from different outfits across the country were disciplined for having sympathies with anti-COVID restrictions protesters. Constables from Ottawa and Windsor police services had to work without pay for donating around $50 to the Freedom Convoy.

A Durham police officer was demoted for three months for expressing support for the Convoy while in uniform. Two Edmonton police officers attended the protest at Coutts, Alta., and were relieved of duty. One subsequently returned to duty after going through a reintegration program.