Thursday, February 14, 2013

RCMP image makeover out of the gate

The day after Human Rights Watch released a sordid report on RCMP mistreatment of native women and girls, the Globe and Mail has a perky fluff-piece designed to take away any disturbing thoughts you might be having about Canada's finest tasering 12 year olds.

We meet RCMP Corporal Jeff Campbell, who leads a team of volunteer cops policing one of the country's premier ski resorts. Not just the resort, but the actual ski runs too.

Why does Lake Louise need armed cops patrolling its hills on snowboards? Are there terror suspects on the slopes? Koran-crazed Towellers schussing the pistes?

No, but the Mounties get to ski for free, and one day they did catch three guys smoking a joint.

While there seems little point for the Mounties on the mountain, it's not hard to discern the purpose of the story or its timing.

How can it even be imagined that such wholesome civic-minded officers have been smeared by some busy-body gang of foreigners like Human Rights Watch?

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