Deputy Commissioner of RCMP steps down.

I wonder if there is any salary reduction in his new position. The position itself is a bit strange for a person who is in effect being forced out of his position because of his lack of proper oversight. Perhaps it is just a position manufactured to enable a lateral transfer out of the hot spot.

RCMP deputy commissioner steps down amid controversy
Last Updated: Friday, June 22, 2007 | 9:19 PM ET
CBC News
A deputy commissioner at the RCMP has stepped down, one week after he was criticized in an investigation into the police force's pension fund scandal.

Paul Gauvin announced Friday that he is leaving his position, but not the RCMP. He will serve as the force's special adviser on major capital projects.

Gauvin, a former public servant who joined the RCMP as a civilian member in 1999, was singled out in a report released June 15 by federal investigator David Brown.

Brown was appointed by the Conservative government to investigate allegations that senior RCMP officers covered up problems in the administration of the force's $12-billion pension and insurance fund.

The alleged problems included doubtful expense-account claims, improper contracts and nepotism in hiring.

Brown, in his report, said Gauvin didn't take any responsibility for the problems, even though he was deputy commissioner of corporate management and comptrollership, which meant he was the top official in charge of RCMP finances.

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"He has consistently refused to accept accountability for problems exposed in the administration of the pension and insurance plans," Brown wrote in the report.

"I do understand [Gauvin's] point when he says that the RCMP is a large organization and that he cannot be expected to be aware of every transaction. However the chief financial officer of any organization must accept accountability for failures in the finance and comptrollership functions."

Brown compiled his report after reviewing multiple investigations and inquiries into RCMP management that had been conducted since 2003. Brown also hired forensic accountants to study 400,000 documents and e-mails and interviewed about 25 witnesses.

In his report, Brown did not call for a public inquiry but did recommend that a task force of police, government officials and private-sector experts examine RCMP culture and governance. Brown said there needs to be major changes to the way the organization is managed.

He strongly criticized the management style of former RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, saying officers who came forward with concerns about the management of the pension fund were treated poorly.

Some of the officers testified earlier this spring to a parliamentary committee, claiming that when they unearthed irregularities, their senior managers responded by punishing them or blocking investigations.