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Annual Report 2006
Outreach and Professional Development
To achieve the full value of civilian oversight of military police, it is essential that the community served by the police is aware of the complaints process and the role of the Commission. It is just as important for military police to understand the role of the Commission in assuring their rights in the process.
The Commission continued an active program of outreach in 2006, including visits to Canadian Forces Bases in Trenton and Borden. Commission staff met with a number of groups at the two bases, including military police, the chain of command, and military community service agencies. Base authorities were most accommodating and helpful in arranging these visits.
In February, the Chair and senior Commission staff participated in discussions about policy and procedures of mutual concern with the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal and members of his staff. At this meeting, the Provost Marshal and the Commission made a commitment to meet informally to discuss such issues at least twice a year. A follow-up meeting was held in the fall. As well, the Chair of the Commission was invited to speak at a Canadian Forces National Investigation Service conference (the National Investigation Service is the military police equivalent to a civilian police “major crimes unit
”). The Commission considers these activities to be important contributors to a cordial, professional and productive relationship.
Several members of the Commission's staff are active in the national and international civilian oversight community, assuring the Commission continues to benefit from the experience of others in similar positions across Canada and around the world. A number of staff attended the 2006 Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (CACOLE), where Commission Chair Peter Tinsley was elected vice-president of the Association. The Commission also facilitated having the Canadian Forces Deputy Provost Marshal Professional Standards as a presenter at the Conference. More than a dozen countries were represented, and the first steps were taken toward the organization of an international association of agencies involved in police oversight.
Two of the Commission's counsel are members of the executive of the Military Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, and legal staff from the Commission attended the Section's annual professional development seminars in 2006.
