The House of Commons voted Thursday to find RCMP deputy commissioner Barbara George in contempt of Parliament following allegations she deliberately misled MPs. Liberal MP Shawn Murphy said the vote was supported by all four party House leaders.
In theory, the punishment George could face includes jail time. However, Murphy said that would not happen. "It was just a statement of our rebuke,'' he told The Canadian Press. "This is a very confusing area of the law. It's a very complex. Systems that we operate under here are arcane and they go back centuries.''
CTV's Roger Smith said Thursday that the move essentially delivers "a real blow to the credibility of George." Smith said MPs agreed that "no further sanction" should be taken against George.
The allegations first surfaced in recommendations tabled last February, in which a Commons committee rebuked George and claimed she misled Parliament during an appearance in early 2007. George testified before the Commons Public Accounts Committee last year regarding the RCMP insurance and pension scandal.
She said she had nothing to do with the removal of Staff Sgt. Mike Frizzell from a team that was probing how the RCMP's $12 billion pension fund and insurance plans were operated. Later, MPs on the public accounts committee claimed there was conflicting testimony about her possible involvement. In February, George released a statement saying she answered questions "honestly, accurately and to the very best of my personal recollection." The statement said she was "disappointed to learn that the report issued today by the public accounts committee reflects their distorted interpretation of my testimony.''
Frizzell himself told the committee that George was responsible for his removal from the team, and last March, documents suggested George was involved in email exchanges about Frizzell's move.
RCMP's response
Liberal MP Mark Holland, in an email to CP, called Thursday's finding against George "quite a condemnation by Parliament." He said the matter now falls to the Mounties.
RCMP spokeswoman Const. Pat Flood said Commissioner William Elliott is considering how to move forward. "We take this report and the report on the incident and the action by the House of Commons very seriously,'' Flood told CP. "This is unprecedented in recent history of the organization.''
George, who has accused the committee of "gross" unfairness, was the only senior Mountie suspended in connection with the pension flap. She was reinstated to the RCMP last November after eight months. The police force also clarified that her suspension was not linked to any allegation that she had misused public funds, or that she had mismanaged pension or insurance plans. George is still the deputy commissioner in the RCMP but is on leave, said Smith.
The RCMP pension scandal dates back to 2003, and has marred the reputation of the national police force with allegations of mismanagement, nepotism, questionable expense claims, and contracts given to consultants who did little or no work.
A separate federal investigation concluded last June that former RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli harmed the public trust by allowing the controversy to continue for years. Zaccardelli denied he was involved in any cover-up of alleged mismanagement of the fund.
George Radwanski, the former privacy commissioner, was the last person to be held in contempt of Parliament. Radwanski was cited in 2003 over claims he misled a committee.
With files from The Canadian Press
