A sentence was handed down this morning in the RCMP Labour Code case.
The organization was convicted in September of one of count of failing to provide proper equipment to officers, in connection with the tragic shooting on June 4th, 2014 which left three officers killed and two others injured.
Crown lawyer Paul Adams stressed the importance of Judge Jackson’s statement saying no amount of money could ever reflect the depth of suffering and loss experienced by the families of Constable Doug Larche, Constable Fabrice Gevaudan, and Constable Dave Ross.
“The point of this process was hopefully to send a message, not only to the RCMP, but to other employers, there will be significant consequences for a failure to meet their legal responsibilities,” says Adams.
The Crown had asked for the maximum penalty of $1 million, broken down into a $100,000 fine, with the rest being disbursed to the organizations outlined below, while Defence lawyer Mark Ertel, asked for a half million dollar penalty, with $100,000 as a fine, and $400,000 as donations.
Ertel believes they put forward a reasonable submission, but admitted they have 30 days to appeal either the verdict or the sentence, or they must pay the entire penalty by February 26th.
Nadine Larche, widow of Constable Doug Larche, is nauseated by the events, and today’s sentencing, adding no amount of money will change the fact her three daughters are growing up without their father, and no judgment can erase her family’s pain.
“No judgment will bring these men back, no judgment will ever make amends, no judgment will ever make reparations, no judgment will serve justice to what happened, no judgment will remedy the harm, no judgment will end me and my family’s grief,” says Larche.
She adds it’s hard not to think and reflect that “lives were forever changed because of people’s decisions, my family’s life has forever been changed, my three children are growing up without a daddy.”
Larche strongly believes her husband would be alive today if the RCMP had done their due diligence.
Judge Leslie Jackson sentenced RCMP to a $550,000 penalty broken down between a fine of $100,000 and $450,000 in contributions in the following amounts, to the following recipients:
- $300,000 for a memorial scholarship to the Université de Moncton;
- $60,000 to the educational trust funds of the children of the fallen officers;
- $75,000 for Threads of Life Society, a registered charity dedicated to supporting families after a workplace fatality, life-altering injury or occupational disease; and,
- $15,000 for Valour Place Society, a temporary home away from home for all Canadian Forces members, RCMP, Families of the Fallen, Veterans and First Responders along with their families who require medical treatment in Edmonton, and live outside the city/area.
All monies must be paid by February 26th.
