The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) welcomes the recent decision of the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) to launch an independent civilian review of G20 policing. It is the opinion of the CCLA that police conduct during the G20 Summit was, at times, disproportionate, arbitrary and excessive. In our view, despite instances of commendable and professional conduct, the policing and security efforts, especially after 5PM on June 26 and June 27, failed to demonstrate commitment to Canada’s constitutional values. The CCLA has maintained that a full independent inquiry into G20-related policing is required in order to ensure the public accountability of, and restore the public confidence in, the Toronto Police Service. We support a independent civilian reviewer who has full security clearance and has a mandate to study and review all aspects of the Toronto Police Service’s conduct and policies regarding the G20.
The TPSB is the civilian body which oversees the conduct and policies of the Toronto Police Service. It approved of the proposal for an independent civilian review at a special meeting this morning, July 6, 2010. The Chair of the TPSB, Mr. Alok Mukherjee, now has two weeks to draft a terms of reference for the review and to nominate a civilian to lead it.
During this period of time, the TPSB will be accepting written submissions from the public on what the scope and powers of the independent civilian reviewer should be. Any member of the public who wishes to express an opinion on these issues can submit their written submission to the TPSB at board@tpsb.ca before June 20. On or soonafter that date, the TPSB will announce the proposed terms of reference and nominate a independent civilian reviewer at a public meeting. At that time, the public will be invited to make oral submissions following which the TPSB will vote on whether to accepted the proposal and the nomination. The TPSB is currently proposing a 12-week reporting period for the independent civilian reviewer.
