Seventh report by the Witness Protection Program Advisory Committee

Executive summary

This is the seventh report of the Witness Protection Program Advisory Committee presented, per the terms of reference, to the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The RCMP created the Committee in 2013 as a mechanism to provide independent, expert advice on the range of complex issues inherent in administering the Program. The Committee structures this advice around three main pillars: a focus on protectees, Program independence from investigations, and adherence to program standards. Committee members are not privy to information that would reveal the identity or location of any protectees.

The Committee commends the RCMP's progress in implementing significant structural and operational changes, most notably:

• Increased collaboration with Public Safety Canada, particularly in updating and formalizing the international Reciprocal Arrangement process
• Continued development of the Program's Disclosure team, encouraging professional development and opportunities for advancement within the unit, as well as the retention of expertise
• Strengthening relationships and operations with international partners
• Efforts to modernize witness protection-related training

The Committee recommends the Program continue to advance on the following:

• Continue to foster the relationship with Public Safety Canada through regular discussions
• Collaborate with Public Safety Canada on a national witness protection forum as a venue for discussing shared witness protection challenges, and sharing best practices between programs
• Collaborate with Public Safety Canada, provincial programs and other key stakeholders in creating national witness protection standards, which ensure the security, safety, and needs of protectees
• Explore statutory changes to dictate Third-Party status
• Continue to build the capacity of the program to do research and quality improvement through systematic collection of structured data and the use of data analysis in decision-making within the program administration
• Continue to learn from and contribute to international collaboration efforts
• Continue efforts to keep training current for Program employees and seek out opportunities for observation and sharing of best practices both nationally and internationally

Despite the inherent challenges of witness protection, the Committee praises the RCMP and the Program in implementing many improvements and in executing a world-class program. The Committee looks forward to continued engagement with the Witness Protection Program on key challenges.

You can request a copy of the full report by sending an email to rcmp.witnessprotection-protectiontemoins.grc@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.