RCMP quietly gave awards to officers in N.S. mass murders
Mounties came under fire from inquiry for multiple failures during 2020 rampage
The RCMP has handed out 23 awards for excellence to officers and employees in Nova Scotia for their performance during the April 2020 mass murders, in which a gunman impersonating a Mountie murdered 22 people in cold blood.
The flurry of awards for bravery, ethics & integrity, and outstanding service were quietly approved by RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme last May, more than two years after an inquiry slammed the force for failing to stop the gunman during a 13-hour rampage.
The Mass Casualty Commission’s final report of March 2023 also blasted the Mounties for failing to alert Nova Scotians to the killer, including his use of a fake RCMP patrol car to roam the northern part of the province looking for – and finding – victims.
“All the individuals and units … went above and beyond demonstrating the RCMP core values throughout such a harrowing experience,” says an internal letter to Duheme recommending the awards.
“All the dedicated individuals mentioned within this report displayed incredible bravery or outstanding service, professional ethics and integrity, unwavering support and commitment in responding to the largest mass casualty shooting in Canadian history, its aftermath and the public inquiry that followed.”
The awards were culled from 316 nomination packages reviewed by the force’s “H Strong Committee,” an internal group named for H Division, the Mountie designation for the force’s Nova Scotia section.
Internal records detailing the awards were released under the Access to Information Act, and are available here:
A spokesperson for the RCMP acknowledged the commendations, but declined to provide the names of individual recipients or the reasons for their recognition.
“In line with the Privacy Act, the names of individuals can not be provided, as personal information is protected,” media-relations officer Camille Boily-Lavoie said in Ottawa.
The RCMP has often publicized the names of recipients of Commissioner’s Commendations, the force’s highest award, and has detailed the actions that warranted recognition. For example, eight officers and one civilian were publicly identified during a 2023 award ceremony in Cape Breton, N.S., overseen by Duheme. The event included descriptions of the award-winners’ actions.
Boily-Lavoie did not respond when asked to explain why many previous recipients of Commissioner’s Commendations have been publicized if the Privacy Act in fact forbids such disclosure.
The mass casualty-related commendations were for bravery (15 awards), professional ethics and integrity (3) and outstanding service (5), she said. In addition, Duheme distributed nine lesser awards, that is, eight Commissioner’s Merit Awards and one Commissioner’s Unit Commendation for Outstanding Service.
Boily-Lavoie said one “commendation was awarded to an individual that passed away in the mass casualty event.” She did not provide an identity, but the only officer killed by the gunman was Acting Cpl. Heidi Stevenson.
Injured after the gunman rammed her patrol car, Stevenson fired at least 14 rounds from her service pistol at the killer, wounding him before succumbing to his gunshots. The Mass Casualty Commission singled out Stevenson as a highly competent professional, among the few RCMP voices urging that Nova Scotians be informed that the gunman was impersonating an officer in a fake patrol car he had meticulously outfitted with decals and police equipment.
The Unit Commendation for Outstanding Service was awarded to a litigation team of nine employees, most of them lawyers, who were required to vet, compile, redact and deliver thousands of documents to the Mass Casualty Commission.
The commission’s final report faulted the RCMP for its slow delivery of documents, and its inability to locate key material. One of its final recommendations was for an independent audit of the RCMP’s document management and production. The force rejected an independent audit, saying its internal audit was sufficient. Even so, the internal audit found a raft of documentation problems.
The RCMP Commissioner’s Commendation is a yellow-and-blue pin, rather than a medal, emblazoned with the gold head of a buffalo. The award also comes with a certificate.
One was earned at the cost of the officer's life. The others appear to be like the participation ribbons I earned for showing up at Field Day.