OTTAWA — As the RCMP marks its 150th anniversary, a familiar, nagging question about the storied national police force is resurfacing: Should the Mounties
withdraw from small communities across Canada to fully concentrate on big-ticket federal files such as cybercrime, fraud and human trafficking?
The RCMP traces its roots to the May 23, 1873, approval of legislation to establish the North-West Mounted Police to keep the peace in vast tracts of land newly transferred to Canada. In 1920, the force would absorb the federal Dominion Police to become the RCMP. Federal officials have quietly warned the demand for contract RCMP officers has outstripped the force’s capacity to recruit and train them, causing shortages that have led to officer health and wellness concerns.
An independent 2020 report on harassment of women in the RCMP said fundamental change was needed to rid the force of a toxic culture that tolerates hateful and homophobic attitudes. It called for a deep external review of the institution and the future of the force as a federal policing organization.
Where necessary, provincial, territorial, and federal governments must provide money to municipalities and local communities, including Indigenous ones, to ensure adequate policing services in rural and remote areas, the report added. “We’ve got a homeless crisis, we’ve got a mental health crisis, we’ve got a drug crisis, we’ve got guns, we’ve got violence, we’ve got gangs,” she said.
This national framework would be based on guiding principles central to the delivery of public services that include a prevention-first approach to safety.
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