Commissioner's Foreword

"This is why, individually and organizationally, we have the patience to sweat the small stuff even when – actually, especially when – pursuing major goals. We've learned the hardest way possible how much little things matter." (Chris Hadfield, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth )

In the days following the murder of our members, I referred to Justin Bourque as a monster. At that moment, I didn't know how else to understand him or what he'd done. Even as the words left my mouth, I knew we would have to come quickly to a better understanding of who he was and how he was able to murder our three colleagues.

I asked recently retired Assistant Commissioner Alphonse MacNeil to take on this task because I knew he could bring us that understanding, position the Force to learn from this tragedy and recommend any changes we'd need to make.

Having members or employees killed on duty strikes us all profoundly. No one more profoundly than the family members, friends and colleagues of the fallen. Each of us must develop and manage our own grieving and loss strategies so as to go on with life in the face of the senseless murder of our loved ones. This hurt never goes away.

Dave, Fabrice and Doug are heroes. They sacrificed their lives in the call to duty. They, like all of the brave men and women of the Force who responded to this dangerous situation, did what they did so that others could be safe. They went towards danger with incredible courage drawn from their life commitment to protecting the citizens we are so proud to serve. All Canadians are grateful and amazed by their courage and professionalism. That will never change.

The repeated analysis, court appearances, media reports and opinions generated in the wake of these murders only make the grieving process more difficult. But there is no escaping that they are necessary for us all to understand what happened. There is no better source of the facts of what happened here than the authoritative and precise account provided in our criminal investigation of these murders. We now know what took place on June 4, 2014 and the killer has pleaded guilty in the face of this powerful account of his actions. I am grateful for the professionalism, thoroughness and courage of our investigative team who so ably put this case together so quickly.

The court proceedings and associated records provide answers for most but not all of our questions. We have a duty to critically analyse what happened with a view not to assigning blame – there is only one person responsible for these murders – but rather to improving our operations in the future. It's not reasonable or practical to expect perfection in the face of such an unprecedented situation, but when we self-analyse and critically debrief ourselves, perfection is what we must put our performance against. That is how we learn from our successes and our mistakes. That is what makes us professionals. In this spirit, I asked Assistant Commissioner (ret'd) MacNeil 13 difficult questions and in the result he has provided us with his analysis and recommendations.

Chris Hadfield's recent book An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth has a chapter called "Sweating the Small Stuff". In it, he talks about how, in both his flying and astronaut careers, he and his teammates would continually self-assess and critically debrief one another without fear of personal retribution or animosity in an effort to "get it right". When lives are on the line, we've got to get it right. All of us in the Force would do well to apply this critical analysis to the things we do every day.

Policing is a dangerous profession; lives are on the line and we can never be sure how or where or when the next deadly threat will present itself. No one saw Bourque coming and we cannot conduct our affairs with the citizens we serve in a way that has us seeing a Justin Bourque around every corner. But we do need to think and prepare for the next Bourque. As our honour roll sadly confirms, there has always been and there will continue to be deadly threats to police officers in this country. It is our obligation - our duty - to make sure that we can be as prepared as humanly possible to meet these threats, having regard for who we are and where we live. That's why this report is as frank as it is and our action plan is as clear as it is; we must learn from this tragedy. We have and we will.

The MacNeil Report is a comprehensive and critical assessment of what took place. There are 64 recommendations, many of which can be adopted in the short term. Some recommendations have already been implemented and work is being done on many others. A few of the recommendations will require a more complex response and substantial follow-up. We have prepared an action plan that transparently lays out our response to the recommendations and we will track our progress towards implementation.

There will be some public discussion, debate and even criticism about the contents of the Report and that is to be expected. I am satisfied that the Report canvasses all aspects of our response and provides us with a solid basis to make improvements to our response to this type of threat.

I would like to thank Alphonse MacNeil and his team, and the employees and individuals who contributed to the preparation of the report. It can't have been easy going over these circumstances with a critical eye but, in the end, the Report will prepare us for the next monster so that we don't have to endure this kind of loss again. Let me close by thanking the families, friends and colleagues of our fallen members for their forbearance and courage through this impossibly difficult time.

Bob Paulson

Commissioner