Thread by @Tim_Bousquet

I’m at today’s proceedings of the Mass Casualty Commission. You can avoid this coverage by muting the hashtag #MCC

Today, Lee Bergerman is testifying. I expect this will last all day and possibly into tomorrow #MCC

Because I am a dummy, I forgot my computer. It’s being delivered to me, but until then my tweeting will be somewhat challenged #MCC

Bergerman was the RCMP commander in Nova Scotia at the time of the murders. She’s retired now #MCC

OK, I have the computer, heh. Thankfully, we've just been discussing the culture of the RCMP. #MCC

The gist of the conversation: Bergerman wanted Darren Campbell to appear on the CBC's The Fifth Estate, but someone at RCMP national headquarters, apparently Brenda Lucki, nixed the idea. #MCC

Here's Bergerman #MCC

Now we're onto the psychological autopsy of the killer, conducted by Matt Logan. As I've said many times, I consider this junk science. As I wrote in today's Morning File (which will be published soon): #MCC

Matt Logan suggested that the psychological autopsy be made public in order to blunt criticism of the RCMP #MCC

Related... Nova Scotia has had two recent mass murders. Are we failing to recognize the warning signs of a third? (Morning File) halifaxexaminer.ca/featured/nova-… by me

Bergerman's spouse Mike Butcher was seconded to Nova Scotia to in part deal with media communications after the murders. Bergerman says that in retrospect that was a bad idea, but she didn't make the hire, Chris Leather did. #MCC

I used the wrong photo in the Morning File post above. We're correcting. I'm having a difficult time coming off vacation, sigh. I regret the multiple errors.

We appear to be zooming right through the morning break. Sorry, my tweeting is not great, but neither is the conversation #MCC

schedule update: Halifax police chief Dan Kinsella will testify Thursday. #MCC

Asked what didn't go well, Bergerman says communications didn't go well. But, she says, a lot of things went "awesome" #MCC

Bergerman: if another mass casualty happened today, the RCMP would be prepared #MCC

Asked what she would advise the commissioners to recommend, Bergerman says "resourcing" — i.e., the RCMP needs more money. #MCC

Young is finished her questions. So we'll break for lunch, and families' lawyers will question Bergerman after, at 1pm #MCC

We're back. Nijhawan McMillan, with the National Police Federation, is questioning Bergerman. #MCC

McMillan's first question is about provincial funding for the RCMP. As I've long said, it doesn't matter how badly police screw up, the solution is always "give cops more money" #MCC

Bergerman: I submitted 3 multi-year budgets, and negotiated with the province.
McMillan: Was it enough money?
Bergerman: "No."
#MCC

And I hesitate to make predictions, especially about the future, but I'm expecting that the #MCC will make a bunch of recommendations, but the only ones that will be adopted will be the ones that give the RCMP more money.

Bergerman: the conversation right now is "do we want 5 doctors or 10 police?" #MCC

Bergerman and McMillan both agree the RCMP budget needs to be increased. #MCC

Now up, Tom MacDonald, who represents the family of Sean McLeod.
MacDonald: you've been following the commission?
Bergerman: No, I've been out of the country with spotty internet
#MCC

MacDonald: was there command confusion the night of April 18?
Bergerman: I dunno, that's operational stuff. I just work here.
#MCC

MacDonald: was the response adequate?
Bergerman: everybody did the best they could at the time. Now we're learning about communication breakdowns, but they did the best they could.
#MCC

MacDonald: Nobody knew about Alert Ready.
Bergerman: I was working there for 30 years, and I never knew we could use it in a dynamic situation.
#MCC

MacDonald: There were a bunch of delays in sending out that tweet about the fake car.
Bergerman: If it happened now, we'd have a comms person in the critical incident command centre
#MCC

MacDonald: you said this morning things went well.
Bergerman: there were communications problems. But the iARD team was "heroic" and the ERT was "heroic" and the killing the perpetrator "was very well done"
#MCC

MacDonald: want didn't go well?
Bergerman: communications. Having community people "closer to the command centre" so they could tell about "obscure roads"
#MCC

MacDonald: what are your recommendations?
Bergerman: Resourcing. (i.e., money)
#MCC

Bergerman, about the call from Lucki: After that call, I came away thinking there was attempted political interference #MCC

(Duplicate tweet, in thread)
Now up, lawyer Josh Bryson, representing the Bond family (Joy and Peter Bond were killed on Cobequid Court).
Bryson: when did you learn about the multi-hour delay in discovering the Bonds?
Bergerman: not until several months after
#MCC

Bryson: it was a failure of the RCMP to clear Cobequid Court.
Bergerman: it was unfortunate.
Bryson: a failure
Bergerman: not enough resources
#MCC

Bryson is right to drill into this. Unfortunately, the Bonds and Tucks were killed right away, and the delay didn't change that. The bigger issue is that there *could've been* injured and/or bleeding out victims who needed medical attention over those 19 hours
#MCC

Bryson: do you think the next active shooting will wait for a review to be complete?
Bergerman: come on.
Bryson: people might die if changes aren't made
Bergerman: we've filled all sorts of gaps.
#MCC

Bergerman: "there's been no after-action review"
#MCC

Bryson: what was your job, anyway?
Bergerman: I talked to a lot of people.
Bryson: When the event happened?
Bergerman: I was texted Saturday night, then called Sunday. We had an active shooter, so I kept the minister informed
(I *think* Furey contradicted this)
#MCC

This situational report was sent on Bergerman's behalf to national headquarters early Sunday morning #MCC

Bryson points out that the report says the shooter left on foot. Bergerman says she didn't write the report and she didn't know anything about that #MCC

Bryson points out that the RCMP participated in some Justice Dept. audits, but not in others. Bergerman says that wasn't her decision #MCC

Bryson: But you were the top officer?
Bergerman: audits and reviews were done in the criminal operations office, not me. I'm just the boss.
#MCC

Bryson gives paper copies (the rest of us don't have access to it) of Scanlan's notes to Bergerman. #MCC

Bryson is getting into the RCMP's notion that 911 calls were "dropped" after the Alert Ready was activated on April 21 (that weird non-shooting in Tantallon). Cop lawyer points out that Bergerman said 911 was "overwhelmed" not that calls were dropped. #MCC

Sorry, April 24, not April 21.

Now up, Rob Pineo, representing about half the families. #MCC

Pineo lists his clients: #MCC

Pineo asks about the leak of the 911 call to Frank Magazine. Bergerman says Ontario police were brought in to investigate it. Nobody's been identified as the leaker #MCC

There's a big difference between the US and Canada here. In the states, the 911 recordings would be made public as a matter of course, within days. Here in Canada, not. Argue about it among yourselves. #MCC

Pineo: every year between 2009 and 2020, the RCMP detachment in Bible Hill would present a proposed budget to the municipality of Colchester, and every year it was approved as submitted.
Bergerman: first I've heard of it.
#MCC

Pineo reads from a letter from the Colchester CAO saying the municipality has never turned down a request for an increase in the RCMP budget.
Bergerman: "I can't speak to that."
#MCC

Pineo says that RCMP cars in Nova Scotia don't have their call numbers on the roof, so even if there was a helicopter available during the murders, the pilot wouldn't be able to know who were the real cops and who was the fake cops.
#MCC

It occurs to me that all school buses have their numbers on the roof, in case of a Dirty Harry-like situation, but I guess it's kind of pointless. #MCC

Pineo: do you agree (with a report, Pineo isn't necessarily making this argument himself) that the province has under-funded the RCMP?
Bergerman: Yes.
#MCC

We're on break for 15 minutes. #MCC

Now up, lawyer Tara Miller. She says she wants to talk about how the MacNeill report (written after Moncton) was implemented in Nova Scotia
#MCC

Now up, lawyer Linda Hupman.
Hupman: you said relationships with muni forces were good. But this report here says there was a widespread belief in the RCMP that there was major dysfunction.
Bergerman: it was fine before, but the deterioration happened after the murders
#MCC

Bergerman: the muni forces are distancing themselves from the RCMP, not the other way around.
Hupman: everyone should try to get along?
Bergerman: oh yeah.
#MCC

Hupman: New recruits get posted somewhere for a few years, then get moved maybe across the country, even.
Bergerman: Sure, but there's two sides to that. You don't want someone in a detachment for 15 years because they don't have a fresh perspective. #MCC

Hupman talking about the non-helicopter. Besides that... I fear that one day an active shooter will *have* a helicopter #MCC

I think it's intuitive that an RCMP helicopter should've been used earlier (than the DNR helicopter way), but I don't really see how it would've helped. But what do I know? #MCC

Lori Ward, the federal crown attorney, who thinks she represents the RCMP and not the people, is up. #MCC

Ward: how can policing standards improve public safety?
Bergerman: let me knock this softball out of the park, thanks
#MCC

Bergerman's testimony is over for today. Commissioner MacDonald explains that the commissioners themselves will take the night to think on it, then question Bergerman in the morning. #MCC

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