Calls to reform the RCMP have been mounting for years. What are the parties proposing?

Catharine Tunney · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

When it was clip for erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau to vacate his office, helium near astatine slightest 1 happening down for his successor: blueprints to overhaul one of Canada's astir iconic institutions: the RCMP.

Calling the astir 152-year-old bureau "strained," Trudeau urged the victor of the adjacent predetermination to commencement the process of getting the Mounties retired of boots-on-the-ground policing crossed the state and absorption alternatively connected national files, including nationalist information and fentanyl trafficking.

His program — laid retired successful a argumentation papers pitched arsenic a achromatic insubstantial by his office — echoes galore reports that person besides criticized the RCMP's sprawling mandate, which sees the enactment respond to everything from postulation violations to violent attacks.

Despite those recommendations, the main governmental parties are truthful acold tepid connected pursuing through.

When asked past week astir Trudeau's connection and his plans for the RCMP, Carney archetypal quibbled that it should beryllium called a greenish paper, not a achromatic paper.

"For the distinction, a greenish insubstantial is simply a treatment papers which raises issues, promotes debate, information and past action," said Carney, erstwhile questioned astatine a nationalist information announcement successful Brampton, Ont., past week. 

He said helium would "take into relationship the reflections connected the proposals made" if the Liberals triumph connected April 28.

"I presumption the RCMP arsenic cardinal to the information of Canadians," Carney said, and that he'd "make the reforms indispensable to instrumentality what is simply a large unit for extortion and information of Canadians and marque it adjacent better."

The Conservatives did not respond to a CBC News request for remark connected their imaginativeness for the RCMP.

The New Democrats are "open to reviewing the relation of the RCMP and invited proposal from the commissioner and policing experts connected however champion guarantee nationalist safety," said a spokesperson for the party.

"In doing so, we stay committed to strengthening the RCMP's quality to service communities efficaciously and respond to nationalist information needs, including threats of overseas interference."

While the predetermination has been dominated by speech astir U.S. President Donald Trump and tariffs, some the Conservatives and Liberals person pitched their proposals to tackle nationalist information issues, similar fentanyl rings, weapon power and criminal justness reform. However, there's been nary big-picture speech astir the RCMP.

With 2 weeks to spell until predetermination day, nary of the parties person released their afloat platforms yet.

Trudeau's connection would necessitate a legislative overhaul, a caller grooming curriculum, fund updates and rounds of dialog with provinces that usage the RCMP arsenic their section police.

The RCMP serves arsenic the constabulary of jurisdiction successful astir provinces, 3 territories, 150 municipalities and astir 600 Indigenous communities. Those contracts are acceptable to expire successful 2032.

Its mandate besides includes national policing, specified arsenic nationalist security, convulsive extremism and terrorism, wealth laundering, cybercrime and organized crime.

RCMP leader says challenges owed to under-investment

Trudeau faced unit to alteration the RCMP portion helium had the powerfulness to bash so. It was nether his ticker that aggregate reports argued the RCMP is distracted by excessively galore responsibilities to beryllium flexible oregon efficient. 

Following the 2020 wide shooting successful Nova Scotia that claimed 22 lives, a nationalist enquiry uncovered wide issues successful the mode Mounties bash front-line policing and called for organizational change.

In 2023, a peculiar quality and information committee warned Trudeau's authorities that it needed to springiness urgent attraction to the RCMP's national policing helping oregon hazard seeing nationalist information files autumn done the cracks.

The committee, often referred to arsenic NSICOP, said the dual mandate creates "undesirable effects."

The caput of the RCMP and its national reason the Trudeau-backed connection to divided up the institution.

After the authorities published its argumentation insubstantial past month, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme issued a connection saying helium hadn't been consulted.

While helium acknowledged the Mounties are challenged erstwhile it comes to "today's transgression landscape," Duheme argued that stems from a decennary of under-investment.

"I firmly judge that we are champion positioned to look these challenges arsenic 1 organization," helium wrote.

The national representing thousands of Mounties said it "adamantly disagrees" with the premier minister's proposal.

"It is wholly disruptive and inappropriate to suggest structural changes to the RCMP arsenic a solution erstwhile the wide and evident reply is simply increased, sustained and dedicated funding," wrote National Police Federation president Brian Sauvé successful his ain statement.

In an interrogation with CBC News earlier leaving office, Trudeau argued his connection for the RCMP is meant for a aboriginal premier curate "if they privation to instrumentality nationalist information seriously."