In American movies, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been misidentified as the "Northwest Mounted Police," who supposedly "always get their man." The RCMP motto is actually Mantiens le Droit, "uphold the right," but that vigilance was not on display in the recent murder spree of Gabriel Wortman.
The Nova Scotia denturist, 51, began his killing spree at approximately 10:30 pm on Saturday, April 18, ended at about 11.26 am on Sunday, and involved 16 crime scenes with five residences set aflame. The death spree lasted nearly13 agonizing hours, and claimed 22 lives but fewer might have died had the RCMP responded in timely fashion.
The RCMP "tend to shut down information flow"
An active shooter normally draws an emergency alert sent to phones and announced on television and radio. In Canada, COVID-19 prompted such an alert, but with Wortman police opted to warn people by Twitter, which RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said was "instantaneous" and "a superior way to communicate this ongoing threat." Nick Beaton didn't think so.
"I don't use Twitter and I don't know anyone that does use Twitter," Beaton told CTV News. On the night of Saturday, April 18, Beaton and his wife Kristin watched the news, and by Sunday morning thought the rampage had ended. Kristin Beaton left the house and became one of Wortman's victims.
As CTV noted, "many Nova Scotians were left in the dark about the horrifying rampage unfolding around them," and the victims included RCMP constable Heidi Stevenson, a mother of two.
Many grieving families, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, were asking "how things could have been different, how they might have been able to be warned earlier." The failure to issue an alert, Trudeau said, would be part of a larger investigation. Halifax attorney David Fraser was not hopeful.
The RCMP, he told CTV News, "tend to shut down information flow," he said. "They are one of the least forthcoming government organizations. They have deliberately turned off the tap of information in relation to this investigation." During this probe, crime victims might recall another case of RCMP incompetence.
Vince Weiguang Li: The "Canadian cannibal"
Back in 2008, Chinese immigrant Vince Weiguang Li boarded a bus en route to Winnipeg and stabbed to death passenger Timothy McLean, 22. Li then beheaded McLean and displayed his severed head to terrified passengers outside. A heavily armed RCMP squad did not force entry and take down the murderer. Instead they waited outside several hours while Li cannibalized his victim.
When Li broke through a window, he was arrested, with McLean's nose and tongue in his pockets. At the outset, officers declined to identify the killer or the victim. The "Canadian cannibal," was pronounced insane, and never served prison time. By all indications, the Mounties and local police learned nothing from the case.
Nova Scotia emergency management officials contacted the RCMP about an emergency alert but none was issued and the RCMP were only preparing for an alert when the gunman was finally killed. If Nova Scotians believe nobody in the RCMP will be held responsible it would be hard to blame them.
Where Wortman got his guns will be a part the investigation. Even in Canada, criminals can easily procure firearms outside of lawful channels. On the other hand, Canada's strict gun laws hinder the ability of law-abiding civilians to protect their lives and property.
The RCMP is not standing on guard for thee, and politicians make it harder for Canadians to stand on guard for themselves. That is the enduring lesson of Canada's worst mass shooting.
Lloyd Billingsley is the author of Lethal Injections, about the Elizabeth Wettlaufer case, and most recently Yes I Con: United Fakes of America. His work has appeared in many publications, including his hometown Windsor Star, and Lloyd writes regularly for Frontpage Magazine.
In American movies, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been misidentified as the "Northwest Mounted Police," who supposedly "always get their man." The RCMP motto is actually Mantiens le Droit, "uphold the right," but that vigilance was not on display in the recent murder spree of Gabriel Wortman.
The Nova Scotia denturist, 51, began his killing spree at approximately 10:30 pm on Saturday, April 18, ended at about 11.26 am on Sunday, and involved 16 crime scenes with five residences set aflame. The death spree lasted nearly13 agonizing hours, and claimed 22 lives but fewer might have died had the RCMP responded in timely fashion. 
