Big changes are on the way the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) federal policing division handles national security files, and it’s something the country’s top official can’t wait to see.
“If I had a magic wand, I’d like to have it in place by tomorrow,” Commissioner Mike Duem said in an interview to be aired soon. Rosemary Barton Live.
Minister of Public Security Dominique Leblanc recently I wrote a letter to a colleague in the province. This suggests the Canadian government plans to “separate and distinguish” federal police from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s provincial and territorial on-the-ground policing duties.
A government source familiar with the plans told CBC News that an independent federal police agency would be given dedicated funding, resources and personnel.
“We want to look a little deeper into federal policing and see how we can strengthen it,” Duhem said.
The changes appear to be a response to growing calls for reform of the nation’s largest police force.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s federal police division, which investigates foreign interference, terrorism and other national security threats, as well as high-level organized crime and cybercrime, has been losing full-time officers over the past decade to fill vacancies in its contract policing division.
Federal police mounted officers, who are attached to the detachments to address shortcomings in the state police, are often not replaced, undermining the work of the federal police force.
Last year, the parliamentary committee on national security and intelligence released a report saying the RCMP’s federal policing mission was being hampered by resource issues and competing demands from contracting police forces.
The federal police “are not as effective, efficient, flexible or accountable as they need to be to protect Canada and Canadians from the most serious threats to national security and crime,” the committee warned.
Ottawa says it remains committed to the contract agreement
The committee called on the government to review the relationship between federal police and the RCMP’s contractual obligations.
Outside of Ontario and Quebec, the RCMP provides frontline policing services through contractual arrangements with provinces and territories.
Under those agreements, which expire in 2032, provinces and territories pay 70 per cent of the cost of RCMP services and the federal government covers the rest. Municipalities pay between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of the contract costs, depending on their size.
In a letter to British Columbia’s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, LeBlanc said he envisions “an ultimate form of federal policing that is separate and distinct from the RCMP’s contract policing mission.”
He also assured his state government colleagues that the Federal Government was committed to honouring existing police contracts.
“Furthermore, we are committed to working with states and territories on our efforts to renegotiate agreements to ensure we have the right path forward to support your needs and priorities with regards to policing in your jurisdictions now and beyond 2032,” he wrote.
Government sources suggested the RCMP would not move away from contract policing, but there would be a transition period while Ottawa and the provinces work out how new contracts would work.
Duhem said the changes will allow the RCMP to better fulfil its federal policing mandate.
Government sources said creating a separate stream for federal police was an acknowledgement that national security files would continue to grow in importance and complexity over the coming years.
A team within Minister Leblanc’s department is working on a restructuring plan, including whether legal changes are needed, and is likely to present the minister with a “way forward” in the autumn, the people said.
It is not yet clear when the federal police will be formally separated from the contract police.
“We’re working with the provinces and territories, we’re working with the minister’s office, we’re working with people within the organisation to get things going,” Duhem said.
“It can be difficult when we’re looking at policy and legislation, but when it comes to federal policing, there’s a strong desire to change the overall impact of the organisation.”
Some jurisdictions are already “considering options”
Last year, the federal government asked for feedback from jurisdictions that use the RCMP.
by “What We Heard” ReportThe majority of those jurisdictions have told the government they want to retain the RCMP as their contracted police services provider, according to a report recently posted online.
“No states or territories have indicated they intend to withdraw from their contract policing programs at this time, but some have indicated they will consider their options going forward,” the report said.
“Those who expressed the possibility of considering a transition from the RCMP to an independent police service cited increasing cost pressures and the need for greater local control/influence as the main drivers for change.”
Survey respondents also said they wanted local input to “adjust” RCMP frontline services.
“Some partners cited the RCMP’s need to comply with federal law, national policies, standards and processes as a key challenge (e.g. procurement, access to information) and a barrier to establishing alternative service delivery models,” the report said.
The report noted that the RCMP cannot be implicated in Clare’s Law, a law in place in some provinces that allows police officers to disclose past abusive behavior to current partners.
The RCMP has said it supports the bill. I can’t participate because I’m bound by federal privacy laws.
Many jurisdictions reported “significant concerns” about RCMP officer vacancies and staffing levels, with some jurisdictions reporting that vacancies in local RCMP officers exceeded 50 percent at one point.
“This was noted to be particularly challenging in communities with higher crime severity indices, particularly some Indigenous and rural areas,” the report said.
“Very few jurisdictions have noted that local police stations have been closed and attribute this to a shortage of officers. Others have noted that they don’t have 24/7 coverage, which is a concern.”
Several jurisdictions consulted by the federal government expressed concerns about policing costs, with some saying they could not afford price increases for RCMP police services.
The report said they recommended improvements to the RCMP’s budgeting and planning “but at times result in significant costs and unexpected increases to cover the purchase of assets and equipment (such as handguns).”
“Representatives from territories, Indigenous communities and some provinces pointed to a housing shortage for RCMP officers and inadequacy of police infrastructure to meet modern policing needs as particularly significant challenges facing northern and remote communities.”
Every jurisdiction surveyed by the federal government said Ottawa should have been warned five years in advance if there were to be any changes to the scope of contracted policing for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Rosemary Barton Live’s full interview with RCMP Commissioner Mike Duhem can be viewed on Sunday, June 23rd at 10 a.m. ET.
