There are several problems with the RCMP. IMHO, this report is just repeating what has already been reported by experts like Paul Palango. I will attempt to be succinct in my comments:
1 - The RCMP needs to get out of contract policing, at least in Western Canada. The Canadian public doesn't realize that the wealthy provinces (BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan) are receiving heavily subsidized policing from the RCMP. These provinces should be paying for their own provincial police services just like Ontario and Quebec do. Contract policing is just a legacy of a century ago, and needs to be wound up.
2 - There is far too much political interference by the federal government in the running of the RCMP. There is no way operatives from the PMO or any minister's office should be contacting the Commissioner of the RCMP directly with respect to active investigations or operations in the field (as happened with the massacre in Nova Scotia). There should be an arm's length relationship, so that even the appearance of political interference will not occur. This hazards of having the police and the politicians too closely associated was identified during the Ipperwash Inquiry.
3 - The RCMP needs to be properly staffed and funded commensurate with its responsibilities. The government can't reduce its budget whenever it feels it needs to be appearing to show some fiscal responsibility.
The RCMP should become Canada’s national police force, with a role like the FBI has in the US & every province have a provincial force with local & provincial responsibilities! It takes a government that is interested in real public safety above their own electoral interest!
As I read this very fine analysis, I kept coming back to the (currently shelved) proposal in my province of Alberta to form it's own provincial police.
I have watched for a number of years at the fumbles by the RCMP in the contract policing area in which the Mounties have (apparently) tried their best but their best simply was not good enough. Whether the NS Mass Casualty inquiry, the Whitecourt shooting of officers some years ago, etc. it is obvious that the training is insufficient, the equipment is incredibly lacking and/or obsolete and so on and so forth.
In other words, to me the RCMP are failing at contract policing as well as national policing. The one thing that the Mounties do do well is the musical ride (yawn) and maintaining their image. Quite simply, they have been coasting on their image for decades with the result that the public - and RCMP members - are not well protected.
This is just another thing the Trudeau government will meh at, unless they can somehow spin it to be important for the 2024 election. We need to split the duties of the RCMP, but I really have no idea how small communities in Nova Scotia or other parts of Canada will afford their own police. Local people with shotguns being deputized does not make me feel safe. It makes me feel like they're some sort of roving militia.
We have next to zero intelligence culture in Canada, so that's not going to be seen as important either. The decision makers need to be better communicators about this. Gutting the RCMP will also give it time to reform it's image and create a better training program. Less use of force, more inclusion and compassion?
Here in Surrey we are 5 years into changing from RCMP to Surrey Police and its been a hot topic. The Province is finally stepping in and not letting the new mayor reverse it back to rcmp as to much time and money has been spent on it. Surreys population is now over 600,000. I think a simple change could help rcmp can still do contract policing but once a city hits a population of a certain size (100,000 or 200,000 or something) it must get its own local police force. split up the rest of the force into different organizations doing different things.
That's really great to hear actually. How are you training them? Do they just cover the city or outside city borders? My hometown has just under 9,000 people in it in Nova Scotia and they have had their own police dept for a very long time. They're "regional" police though, and cover my hometown and another other smaller town. When you get out into the rural areas, that's when the RCMP takes over. Some of those tiny towns, you blink and miss them on the Twinned Highway. If the mass shooting down the South Shore doesn't change the RCMP, I have no idea what actually will.
Trudeau's cabinet needs to work harder to get people to care more about the administration part of the RCMP and less about the people involved in it. The worst thing to do would be to have a Big Four firm step up and clean up the nonsense with processes, procedures, etc.
I don't know about training I think the BC justice institute will be doing some. also a lot of officers from RCMP and Vancouver police have switched. they will just cover the city. the greater Vancouver area is 2.6 million people but 21 different municipalities with 21 different mayors, 21 police forces (some local some rcmp), 21 different fire department. You regional police thing sounds like a good idea and more economical. The RCMP won't change itself just like the military government has to force changes. Family members of the nova scotia mass shooting victims seem organized maybe they will have to pressure. the federal government would have save money by saying cities/regions of a certain size must have there own police.
Thanks for this piece on Canadian reality. How we can expect the current or future political regime to deal with it in any constructive way is the really depressing part. I love my country but I truly despair for it ever again ressembling the country I grew up in. Damn !
There are several problems with the RCMP. IMHO, this report is just repeating what has already been reported by experts like Paul Palango. I will attempt to be succinct in my comments:
1 - The RCMP needs to get out of contract policing, at least in Western Canada. The Canadian public doesn't realize that the wealthy provinces (BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan) are receiving heavily subsidized policing from the RCMP. These provinces should be paying for their own provincial police services just like Ontario and Quebec do. Contract policing is just a legacy of a century ago, and needs to be wound up.
2 - There is far too much political interference by the federal government in the running of the RCMP. There is no way operatives from the PMO or any minister's office should be contacting the Commissioner of the RCMP directly with respect to active investigations or operations in the field (as happened with the massacre in Nova Scotia). There should be an arm's length relationship, so that even the appearance of political interference will not occur. This hazards of having the police and the politicians too closely associated was identified during the Ipperwash Inquiry.
3 - The RCMP needs to be properly staffed and funded commensurate with its responsibilities. The government can't reduce its budget whenever it feels it needs to be appearing to show some fiscal responsibility.
The RCMP should become Canada’s national police force, with a role like the FBI has in the US & every province have a provincial force with local & provincial responsibilities! It takes a government that is interested in real public safety above their own electoral interest!
As I read this very fine analysis, I kept coming back to the (currently shelved) proposal in my province of Alberta to form it's own provincial police.
I have watched for a number of years at the fumbles by the RCMP in the contract policing area in which the Mounties have (apparently) tried their best but their best simply was not good enough. Whether the NS Mass Casualty inquiry, the Whitecourt shooting of officers some years ago, etc. it is obvious that the training is insufficient, the equipment is incredibly lacking and/or obsolete and so on and so forth.
In other words, to me the RCMP are failing at contract policing as well as national policing. The one thing that the Mounties do do well is the musical ride (yawn) and maintaining their image. Quite simply, they have been coasting on their image for decades with the result that the public - and RCMP members - are not well protected.
One of your best analyses Dr Wark! Thank you.
This is just another thing the Trudeau government will meh at, unless they can somehow spin it to be important for the 2024 election. We need to split the duties of the RCMP, but I really have no idea how small communities in Nova Scotia or other parts of Canada will afford their own police. Local people with shotguns being deputized does not make me feel safe. It makes me feel like they're some sort of roving militia.
We have next to zero intelligence culture in Canada, so that's not going to be seen as important either. The decision makers need to be better communicators about this. Gutting the RCMP will also give it time to reform it's image and create a better training program. Less use of force, more inclusion and compassion?
Here in Surrey we are 5 years into changing from RCMP to Surrey Police and its been a hot topic. The Province is finally stepping in and not letting the new mayor reverse it back to rcmp as to much time and money has been spent on it. Surreys population is now over 600,000. I think a simple change could help rcmp can still do contract policing but once a city hits a population of a certain size (100,000 or 200,000 or something) it must get its own local police force. split up the rest of the force into different organizations doing different things.
That's really great to hear actually. How are you training them? Do they just cover the city or outside city borders? My hometown has just under 9,000 people in it in Nova Scotia and they have had their own police dept for a very long time. They're "regional" police though, and cover my hometown and another other smaller town. When you get out into the rural areas, that's when the RCMP takes over. Some of those tiny towns, you blink and miss them on the Twinned Highway. If the mass shooting down the South Shore doesn't change the RCMP, I have no idea what actually will.
Trudeau's cabinet needs to work harder to get people to care more about the administration part of the RCMP and less about the people involved in it. The worst thing to do would be to have a Big Four firm step up and clean up the nonsense with processes, procedures, etc.
It would be "Office Space", but with the RCMP. :/
I don't know about training I think the BC justice institute will be doing some. also a lot of officers from RCMP and Vancouver police have switched. they will just cover the city. the greater Vancouver area is 2.6 million people but 21 different municipalities with 21 different mayors, 21 police forces (some local some rcmp), 21 different fire department. You regional police thing sounds like a good idea and more economical. The RCMP won't change itself just like the military government has to force changes. Family members of the nova scotia mass shooting victims seem organized maybe they will have to pressure. the federal government would have save money by saying cities/regions of a certain size must have there own police.
Thanks for this piece on Canadian reality. How we can expect the current or future political regime to deal with it in any constructive way is the really depressing part. I love my country but I truly despair for it ever again ressembling the country I grew up in. Damn !