November 21, 2007

OTTAWA and VANCOUVER -- The federal government has ordered a review of RCMP regulations for the use of tasers after the tragic death of Robert Dziekanski.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said last night he has asked Paul Kennedy, chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, to review the force's protocols for the use of the devices.

Mr. Dziekanski died last month at the Vancouver airport after being shot with a taser. Mr. Kennedy will also review the conduct of members of the RCMP in the Dziekanski case.

"The death of Mr. Dziekanski is a tragic incident. I once again wish to extend my sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Dziekanski," Mr. Day said in a prepared statement last night in issuing the review.

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"I have asked the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP to review all RCMP protocols on the use of [tasers] and to assess the compliance of the RCMP with these protocols."

Mr. Day said the government takes the matter seriously and recognizes that Canadians "must continue to have full confidence in their national police force."

He said he expects Mr. Kennedy to provide its initial assessment to him by Dec. 12.

"The RCMP is committed to fully co-operate with this review, as well as the other investigations into this incident."

Mr. Day also noted that the RCMP probe into the case could result in criminal charges.

Canadians - and the international audience now seized by Mr. Dziekanski's death at the Vancouver airport - will get a first glimpse this week at what happened during the 10 hours prior to the Polish man being tasered by the RCMP.

Mr. Day also announced yesterday that the Canadian Border Services Agency will release a report within days that will provide new details on Mr. Dziekanski's videotaped death that has created an international storm.

The agency "has had the time to do a thorough analysis of the matter, including all of the camera checks, the interviews with any individuals who may have come in touch with this gentleman, and I have asked that the report come out quickly with recommendations," Mr. Day told the House of Commons yesterday.

The agency has been ordered to make itself available to answer questions once the report is released, he told reporters earlier in the day, and said he welcomed British Columbia's decision to call a public inquiry into the incident.

Mr. Day's comments come a day after the B.C. government accused the trio of federally regulated agencies - the CBSA, the RCMP and the Vancouver airport - of refusing to answer the province's questions surrounding the incident.

Poland's ambassador to Canada, Piotr Ogrodzinkski, said yesterday he was "very happy" to hear the B.C. government has called a public inquiry into Mr. Dziekanski's death. Leaving an inquiry solely in the hands of the RCMP would not have been "entirely convincing," he said.

A friend of Mr. Dziekanski's mother said Zofia Cisowski also welcomed the prospect of a provincial inquiry. Jurek Baltakis said yesterday from Kamloops that he spoke to Ms. Cisowski about the issue earlier in the day.

"She said, 'Oh, that's great,' because right now she thinks the whole truth will have a better chance to come out."

Meanwhile, at least one of the Mounties seen on video confronting Mr. Dziekanski says he is resigned to the scrutiny of an inquiry, according to a Mountie who has been in touch with him.

RCMP Sergeant Mike Ingles, a staff relations representative in the Fraser region, said the four Mounties, who have not been identified, are holding up as well as can be expected. "They're confident at the end of the day when all of the evidence comes out, that it will show their actions were appropriate."

The CBSA report will be just one of several reviews of the incident, including an internal RCMP review.

Although some opposition politicians are calling for a moratorium on the use of tasers, that call is meeting resistance. Ontario has no plans to call a moratorium on the use of tasers in the province or to review its own policies, said Anthony Brown, a spokesman in the provincial Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

The RCMP's commanding officer in B.C. said the force is keeping an open mind on the devices. "We don't see anything yet that causes us to question the validity of the use of the weapon, but we're open to that possibility for sure," said Gary Bass, Deputy Commissioner, Pacific Region.

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