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Why is it so hard to fire rogue police officers in Canada? Because we are losing control of our system of government.

In saying so, we mean no disrespect to the brave men and women in blue who stand between us and criminal violence and fraud. We are lucky to live in a country where most cops are brave, competent and trustworthy. But that is beside the point. Individual police officers are human, and humans are fallible. Moreover, police forces are governmental institutions and prone to the typical failings of those institutions. High on that list is the excessive regard for their own members at the expense of the public if not held rigorously to account.

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As National Post reporter Richard Warnica noted Friday, “Canadian police officers are, on average, fantastically well paid. Fully half the Toronto force earned more than $100,000 last year. They have ironclad pensions and spectacular benefits. And they enjoy something that has become increasingly rare in Canada: a job for life. In different jurisdictions, with different rules and different disciplinary processes across Canada, one constant remains: it is next to impossible to fire a cop.… On the off chance they are charged, convictions are rare. Among those few unlucky enough to be found guilty, firing is still the exception.”