Unions for the RCMP? Good idea.

Most of those who dismiss the very idea of unionized workforce usually do not fail to utter word communism in the same sentence. Some of those who didn't forget to grow up mentally tend to associate unions with strikes capable of polarizing and paralyzing if not whole countries then certainly at least cities or industries. And even those who realize the importance of properly run unions often disregard the notion of unions being established within law-enforcement agencies where regulations and ranks are orders and orders are no supposed to be questioned.

But police unions do make sense. It always makes sense where power and politics often mix up. That's why even Formula 1 drivers form their own unions. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police's court victory has given the officers the right to form their unions, as judge deemed the restriction unconstitutional opposing generations of RCMP commissioners who, as The Globe & Mail kindly reminds, were afraid that “police unions would expose Canada to everything from creeping Bolshevism to politicized police”.

Paranoia crept in long ago, surely, the question is where does it originate now. Of course, Cold War thinking is alive and well within certain demographic defined more by mentality than sociological stratification. Even strikes are not a problem. The modern-day reasons for opposing unions in the RCMP stem from different soil.

There's nothing wrong with the command chain within the RCMP, or any other police force for that matter, on the contrary, it's perfectly logical within the scope of tasks and the nature of law enforcement or military organizations. But the very nature of a command chain makes it very difficult to raise valid objections even outside the immediate line of duty, such where safety, security, administration or filing and reporting are concerned. What can be even more disturbing, any otherwise sensible command chain can quickly turn into a very effective mechanism protecting higher and/or highest ranks at any given stage on any given level.

It's not only about whistleblowers or scapegoats. The ongoing British Columbia inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski revealed several instances of RCMP's own regulations being sidestepped or violated. RCMP unions will not only serve to protect the force's officers but will also bring more transparency and public control of Canada's most iconic and internationally recognized police force.