First annual report on addressing misconduct for public service employees at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police 2025-2026

Message from the Commissioner

I am pleased to present the first annual Addressing Misconduct Report for public service employees at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The RCMP is composed of three categories of employees: regular members, civilian members and public service employees. This report gives insight into instances of misconduct by public service employees at the RCMP during the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

As Canada’s national police service, we have a responsibility to demonstrate leadership in professionalism, accountability, and ethical behaviour. Canadians expect the highest standards from us, and we must hold ourselves to those standards in everything we do.

Our renewed core values, acting with integrity, showing respect, demonstrating compassion, taking responsibility, and serving with excellence, form the foundation of how employees are expected to conduct themselves in the workplace. They guide our decisions, shape interactions, and set clear expectations for all employees.

Misconduct has no place within the RCMP. When it occurs, we must act decisively, fairly, and without delay. In doing so, we protect our employees, safeguard the integrity of our organization, and maintain the confidence of the communities we serve.

A safe and respectful workplace depends on trust. Employees must feel confident in reporting misconduct and assured their concerns will be taken seriously and addressed fairly. Fostering an environment where concerns can be raised without fear enables us to address issues early and uphold the standards expected of all public servants.

This report supports transparency, encourages open dialogue and reinforces our shared responsibility to uphold our values and ethics. Together, we must continue to build a healthy, inclusive organization, where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.

Mike Duheme
Commissioner

Introduction

This document serves as the RCMP’s first annual report on misconduct. It is designed to enhance transparency around the management of misconduct at the RCMP. It includes a summary of the cases of misconduct that were substantiated during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It also provides information on the informal and formal recourse mechanisms available to employees and managers to address suspected misconduct and wrongdoing.

To uphold obligations under the Privacy Act and to protect the privacy of employees, this report employed anonymization measures, including thematic aggregation, generalization, and rounding.

Departmental context

The RCMP employs approximately 11,000 public service employees across Canada, forming a critical part of the RCMP’s workforce. Public service employees deliver and support a wide range of programs that support not only the work of the RCMP, but also the Government of Canada and Canadians in their day-to-day lives.

These employees support policing operations through a broad range of administrative, technical, scientific, mechanical, and specialized functions. Their responsibilities include delivering corporate services; providing operational and investigative support such as intelligence analysis, forensic services, digital forensics, and intercept monitoring; maintaining critical IT, mechanical, and technical systems; supporting 911 dispatch and related communications services; and assisting frontline detachments through essential administrative and public facing services.

Multiple formal and informal channels exist for employees to report concerns about misconduct or wrongdoing, as outlined in Annex A.

Defining misconduct and wrongdoing

Misconduct

Misconduct refers to any actions, deliberate or not, by an employee that violates an act, regulation, rule, departmental or Treasury Board Secretariat policy, approved procedure, reasonable and lawful management request, the RCMP Public Service Employee Code of Conduct or the Values and Ethics Code of the Public Service.

Wrongdoing

Wrongdoing is strictly used to describe incidents addressed under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA). According to the PSDPA, wrongdoing is defined as:

1. a contravention of any Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, or of any regulations made under any such Act, other than a contravention of section 19 of the PSDPA;
2. a misuse of public funds or a public asset;
3. a gross mismanagement in the public sector;
4. an act or omission that creates a substantial and specific danger to the life, health or safety of persons, or to the environment, other than a danger that is inherent in the performance of the duties or functions of a public servant;
5. a serious breach of a code of conduct established under section 5 or 6 of the PSDPA; and
6. knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing set out in any of paragraphs (a) to (e).

Addressing misconduct at the RCMP

The RCMP is committed to ensuring that all employees feel safe when reporting any instances of misconduct or wrongdoing, without fear of retaliation. There are several recourse processes available to employees to report misconduct or wrongdoing. Detailed information on these processes can be found in Annex A of this report.

Managers should generally be the first point of contact for employees. They play a key role in helping address concerns and guiding employees to the appropriate resources. However, when it comes to disclosures of wrongdoing under the PSDPA, employees are not required to report the matter to their manager. RCMP employees can disclose wrongdoing under the PSDPA to their immediate supervisor, the RCMP’s Designated Senior Officer (ethics-ethique@rcmp-grc.gc.ca), or the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.

The RCMP handles all suspected cases of misconduct by adhering to the applicable legislation, policies and guidelines of the organization and the Government of Canada. This involves conducting fair and objective investigations as needed, and upholding procedural fairness for all parties involved, including individuals under investigation and those who filed a complaint or made allegations.

While all allegations of misconduct are assessed to determine the appropriate course of action, not all lead to an investigation. For cases of misconduct, an initial fact-finding exercise is undertaken to determine whether the matter can be addressed with the information available to the manager or whether an investigation may be required. Misconduct can be addressed following the initial fact-finding when a situation is relatively straightforward, the facts are not in dispute by the individuals involved, and the facts do not require an extensive investigation process. When the situation is more complex and additional information is required, an investigation may be initiated.

Measures taken in founded cases of misconduct

Allegations of misconduct can be determined to be unfounded or founded after reviewing the available facts and applying the standard of proof for administrative investigations, which is the balance of probabilities. If misconduct is found to have occurred, the delegated manager is responsible for implementing appropriate disciplinary or administrative measures, noting that both types of measures may be applicable in certain situations.

Disciplinary measures

Disciplinary measures are formal corrective actions taken to address an inappropriate behaviour. These measures are typically progressive, increasing in severity with repeated instances of misconduct. Managers must consider all aggravating and extenuating circumstances when determining the appropriate disciplinary action. In some cases, severe action may be warranted for a first offense.

According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) Guidelines for Discipline, in order of increasing severity, disciplinary measures are as follows:

Oral reprimand

A verbal disciplinary measure that includes a statement outlining to the employee the nature of the misconduct, the corrective action required, and the consequences should it not be corrected. No record of this measure is placed on the employee's personnel file.

Written reprimand

A formal written notice that misconduct has occurred. It outlines the nature of the misconduct, the corrective action required, and the consequences should it not be corrected. If more severe disciplinary action should later become necessary, the record of the reprimand or reprimands on the personnel file demonstrates that the employee was made aware of the consequences of further misconduct.

Suspension

The temporary removal of the employee from the place of work, without pay, as a consequence of misconduct. The notice of suspension includes the nature of the misconduct, the corrective action required, and the consequences should it not be corrected.

Financial penalty

An alternative to a suspension, where a financial penalty is considered preferable for operational or economic reasons. Financial penalties are appropriate in situations involving mass unlawful withdrawal of services, continuous shift operations, ships at sea, or isolated posts, where it may be difficult to schedule suspensions without the use of replacements and overtime. It may also be used to impose a definitive disciplinary measure for an act of misconduct. The notice of financial penalty outlines the nature of the misconduct, the corrective measure required, and the consequences should it not be corrected.

Demotion

An action taken by the employer to appoint an employee to a position at a lower maximum rate of pay. Demotion is an alternative to a disciplinary termination and may be used when the manager is of the opinion that, despite the misconduct, the employee is still suitable for continued employment, albeit in a position at a lower maximum rate of pay. Demotion could be used in situations where a manager is found guilty of harassment and is moved to a position with no managerial responsibilities.

Termination

The separation of an employee from the core public administration for misconduct. Termination may be used after a series of acts of misconduct, when a culminating incident has occurred, or for a single act of serious misconduct. Termination is the most severe disciplinary measure, and the decision to proceed is taken only after careful consideration and when it is determined that the employee is no longer suitable for continued employment by reason of misconduct.

Administrative measures

Administrative measures are actions taken to address a concern, mitigate risk, or help stabilize a situation. Some situations may require one or multiple administrative measures, and in certain instances, an administrative measure alone may suffice to address the issue. These measures can include:

• Suspension without pay pending an investigation
• Temporarily removing human resources and/or financial delegation
• Providing a letter of expectation(s)
• Mandatory training or coaching
• Scheduling regular meetings with management

In some cases, both disciplinary and administrative measures are applied. This approach is used when the situation requires both accountability and proactive steps to reduce reoccurrence – for example, applying a suspension (disciplinary) while also requiring training or closer oversight (administrative). Combining measures reinforces expectations for ethical conduct and helps ensure the behaviour does not reoccur.

Categories of misconduct

Within this report, founded cases of misconduct are organized according to the following categories:

2025-2026 findings

During the reporting period, a total of 45 misconduct cases were substantiated, resulting in disciplinary measures being imposed. The table below outlines the types of disciplinary measures that were imposed. The most common measure imposed was a written reprimand (44%), followed by oral reprimands (35%), while suspensions without pay accounted for 20%.

The chart below outlines the frequency of disciplinary actions by category of misconduct. The most common categories were “Failure to foster a healthy and respectful workplace” and “Failure to act with integrity”, each accounting for 31% of cases.

The figure below illustrates the number of disciplinary measures by category of misconduct. The most common disciplinary measure rendered was a written reprimand in the category of ‘‘Failure to act with integrity”, followed by oral reprimands for “Failure to foster a healthy and respectful workplace”. The following table shows the other disciplinary measures rendered by category of misconduct.

The following table presents a breakdown of the categories of misconduct in the founded cases, as well as the corrective measures applied. In some cases, administrative measures were applied.

Your role in advancing a healthy workplace

Every employee contributes to building and maintaining a workplace grounded in trust and respect. We encourage you to:

Understand the Code

Take time to become familiar with the Public Service Employee Code of Conduct and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.

Raise concerns

If you need to report an issue or seek advice, you can contact any of the offices listed in Annex A.

Lead with integrity

Demonstrate ethical behaviour through your everyday choices and interactions, and seek out opportunities to reflect the RCMP’s Core values in both your words and actions.

Stay engaged

Participate in training and conversations that deepen your understanding of values and ethics.

Together, we can ensure the RCMP continues to be a workplace where integrity guides everything we do.

Conclusion

The behaviour of a small minority must not overshadow the integrity and commitment of the majority of employees who carry out their duties with professionalism every day.

The Annual 2025–2026 Report on Addressing Misconduct at the RCMP is the first edition of this annual report and represents a significant step forward in the organization’s commitment to foster civility, accountability and transparency. This report underscores the RCMP’s commitment to thoroughly investigate all allegations of misconduct and ensure that any substantiated cases result in appropriate actions.

In addition, the report provides valuable information on the resources, support services, and recourse mechanisms available to RCMP employees, aiming to raise awareness and empower individuals to actively contribute to creating a respectful, healthy and inclusive workplace. Above all, this report reaffirms the organization’s unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct.

Annex A

Employees have an obligation to promptly report any behaviour by another employee that violates an applicable code of conduct, recognizing that timely reporting is essential to maintaining the integrity of the organization. Allegations of employee misconduct are taken seriously and addressed accordingly. By fulfilling this responsibility, employees help ensure that inappropriate behaviour is addressed early and that a safe, respectful, and healthy work environment is preserved for all.

This section presents the various reporting mechanisms available to employees. Maintaining a positive organizational culture at the RCMP is a shared responsibility. Every employee plays a role in addressing employee misconduct.