Culture as Rhetoric: State Narratives in Tackling Gender Violence within the RCMP


Jillian Sunderland, University of Toronto

This paper delves into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) sexual violence scandal, which culminated in a watershed moment that saw approximately 3,000 female officers reaching a $125 million settlement with the government. Additionally, the Federal Court awarded an additional $100 million settlement to non-officer women in the RCMP. Former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Hon. Michel Bastarache was tasked with investigating this issue as part of the settlement. In his final report, he forcefully condemned the Force by stating, "The level of violence and sexual assault that was reported was shocking…. the culture of the RCMP is toxic and tolerates misogyny and homophobia at all ranks and in all provinces and territories " (Bastarache 2020, p. 2). Bastaraches report became an integral pillar in the governments comprehensive examination of gender violence within the RCMP. This paper analyzes the litany of governmental reports that tackled this problem to uncover how the state adjudicates gender violence within an institution tasked with public safety. In so doing, it asks what these administrative documents can reveal about how gender violence is understood organizationally. This project foregrounds feminist insights on the state and organizations that view these institutions as intertwined with and productive of white masculine authority (Connell 2009; Acker 1991). Through this lens, I conceptualize the RCMP as a masculinist institution and situate this scandal within similar feminist investigations of sexual violence within the police, military, and professional sports (Duriesmith 2023; MacKenzie and Wadham 2023; Enloe 2004). Historically, male-dominated organizations framed gender violence through the lens of individual pathology or scapegoated it onto a few bad apples (Duriesmith 2023; MacKenzie and Wadham 2023). Feminists have forcefully challenged these individualized framings. Instead, they proffered that such violence is culturally produced (Schmid 2010) in which certain cultures fomented versions of masculinity that are predicated on dominating feminized bodies. Yet, in recent years, a notable shift has occurred in that many inquiries into male-dominated institutions have drawn on the lexicon of how ‘culture’ is responsible for this conduct (Duriesmith 2023; MacKenzie and Wadham 2023; Enloe 2004). I observe parallel instances in state reports examining the RCMP scandal. This begs the question of whether the adoption of a cultural understanding of gender violence aligns with its feminist origins or if it takes on new meanings in these organizational contexts. Thus, I ask: How do these reports define the concept of culture, and which specific aspects are singled out for transformation? What roles and functions does culture assume when confronted by those endeavouring to grapple with this issue? Who or what is held accountable for the creation of a misogynistic culture? In this paper, I argue that various state agencies employ the concept of culture in limited and truncated ways. I maintain that ‘culture’ serves as a rhetorical device that, while seemingly acknowledging issues within the institution, simultaneously deflects deeper scrutiny of its foundational principles. In this manner, I draw parallels to my previous work on the St. Mikes sexual assault case, where I documented how the media and legal discourses placed blame for the assault on the schools culture and masculinity. I argued that this elided culpability for privileged people and institutions in a way that reinscribed traditional power hierarchies (Sunderland 2024). I find similar rhetorical moves in the RCMP case but extend this argument to argue how the discourse of culture is meant to shore up legitimacy for the Force to better serve state purposes. From this standpoint, it seems the inquiries are more intent on reinforcing the existing white patriarchal colonial social order than on initiating genuine reform. In this order, violence is exclusively projected outward, directed at those deemed legitimate targets, specifically Indigenous, Black, and impoverished communities. By aligning with a feminist tradition that centers historical inquiry, critical analysis, and the examination of gender power dynamics, the superficial nature of the critiques levied against the RCMP in the wake of its sexual harassment scandal is unsurprising. Expecting such an institution to initiate or embrace its own radical dismantling is to misunderstand its foundational purpose. However, while the state and its institutions are unlikely to spearhead their own dismantlement, critically examining their actions and the discourses they propagate is invaluable. Through these findings, I hope to add to the literature critiquing the invocation of culture in state documents. Yet, I further argue that these discourses are not just about maintaining an institution; they are about delineating the boundaries of legitimate violence and, by extension, the contours of the state itself.

This paper will be presented at the following session: