RCMP, Border Services have yet to apply for standing at Taser inquiry

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association and the union representing airport workers will have standing at a public inquiry into the death of a Polish immigrant fatally stunned by a Taser at Vancouver's airport.

Inquiry commissioner Thomas Braidwood has also approved the participation of Robert Dziekanski's mother at the B.C. inquiry slated to begin next month.

Dziekanski died on Oct. 14, 2007, shortly after he was jolted by a police Taser. A passerby caught the moments before his death on videotape, and the footage was seen by thousands of people in Canada and overseas, raising questions about the use of Tasers.

In a ruling released Tuesday, Braidwood says Zofia Cisowski clearly has an interest in the findings of the commission and granted her lawyer the status to call witnesses and ask questions.

The Vancouver Airport Authority, the Polish government, weapon manufacturer Taser  International and Richmond's fire and rescue department, whose members tried to revive Dziekanski after his collapse last October, will also appear.

It's unclear whether the RCMP will participate in the inquiry. Patrick McGowan, counsel for the commission, said the force was granted an extension to apply and may do so by this Friday.

Walter Kosteckyj, who represents Cisowski, said he's surprised neither the RCMP nor Canadian Border Services have indicated their intention to participate in the inquiry.

"I'm presuming it's their attempt to avoid dealing with the issue," he said. "Any government agency involved in this seems to be trying to avoid full participation."

In August, a report said the Mounties did not get enough input from medical experts about the impact stun guns have on people.

The report, ordered by RCMP Commissioner Bill Elliott, said the Mounties relied too much on advice from Taser's U.S. manufacturer before approving the device as a less-than-lethal weapon for its officers.

Murray Mollard, executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said his group aims to make sure all the facts, including those related to RCMP policies preceding the incident, are understood.

"Ultimately, this is about another death in custody," Mollard said.

"We have on average almost 18 deaths in custody each year in B.C. alone, and it's going to be important to have an understanding about how the RCMP responds to these incidents."

Braidwood's report to the B.C. government related to an earlier phase of his inquiry related to the general use of conducted-energy weapons by police is expected in November, McGowan said.

The six weeks of hearings related to Dziekanski's death begin Oct. 20.

That inquiry is expected to look at events leading up to Dziekanski's trip from Poland to Vancouver, up to and including his death after being shocked by an RCMP Taser.