Royal Canadian Mounted Police Data Breach (2012)

The RCMP committed a serious privacy breach and broke federal privacy laws when it shared sensitive medical information about five of its officers while throwing accusations at their psychologist, according to a privacy commissioners report written last month and obtained by the National Post. The five Mounties went to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada two years ago, after discovering the RCMP had submitted portions of their personal medical histories to the College of Psychologists of B.C. The RCMP was at the time pursuing a formal complaint against B.C.-based psychologist Mike Webster, who was notoriously critical of the RCMPs work environment and leadership. He described the RCMPs top brass as bullies who would pressure sick Mounties back to work. Dr. Webster had for decades treated Mounties suffering from such conditions as post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety. A former Mountie himself he quit just a few days into the job, after six months of training at the RCMPs depot in Regina he would come to describe the RCMP as cultish, xenophobic and unhealthy. Such comments did not go over well with senior Mounties. In August 2012, the RCMP informed Dr. Webster that it would no longer pay for psychological treatment he provided its officers. Your lack of objectivity in both your clinical work and public commentary towards the RCMP have weakened your effectiveness in treating your RCMP client base, the RCMP told Dr. Webster in a letter. The same month, then-RCMP chief superintendent and human resources manager Brad Hartl initiated a complaint about Dr. Webster to the College of Psychologists of B.C., which regulates the psychology profession in the province. The complaint alleged that Dr. Webster lacked objectivity and sound professional judgment in his clinical work with RCMP members by advocating for organizational change in his treatment plans. It claimed he had referred to the RCMP in very derogatory terms in his public statements. These kinds of statements may be confusing and disturbing to his RCMP patients. Mr. Hartl attached to his complaint seven patient-progress reports made by Dr. Webster, regarding five RCMP patients for whom he provided psychological care. The names of all five RCMP patients were redacted from the progress reports before their delivery to the college. After receiving the confidential documents, the college asked the RCMP for complete copies, according to investigators with the federal privacy office. The RCMP then forwarded the same seven progress reports to the college, this time with the names of the officers attached.