A New Policing Vision for Canada: Modernizing the RCMP

Published: March 10, 2025

The safety and security of Canadians is one of the core responsibilities of the Government of Canada. For almost all of its history, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been at the forefront of Canada’s efforts to protect its communities, and the distinctive red serge uniform and wide-brimmed Stetsons are icons of Canada, recognizable worldwide. A highly capable and professional policing organization, the RCMP represents Canadian values of service, integrity and respect for the rule of law. As our national police force from coast-to-coast-to-coast, we rely on the RCMP to protect Canada’s borders, defend our national security, manage highly specialized fields like DNA and forensics, protect dignitaries, and deliver effective and efficient front line policing services to eight Provinces and three Territories across 700 detachments, and over 600 Indigenous communities.^{Footnote 1}

The RCMP’s extensive range of responsibilities has maintained law and order across Canada for generations. But threats to Canada are rapidly evolving, and demand a targeted response. The digital age and expansion of foreign actor threats challenge traditional policing models and approaches to law enforcement. Canadians are affected daily by growing and complex threats and criminal activities that increasingly extend beyond our borders but have devasting impacts on society, such as the role of organized crime in the spread of fentanyl. Important critical infrastructure is regularly and systematically targeted by complex cyber-attacks, stealing data and affecting the delivery of services that Canadians rely on. We’re witnessing advances in technology that have facilitated more sophisticated methods of committing and concealing these crimes, from using encrypted communications for illegal transactions to employing high tech tools for vehicle theft. And we are now seeing RCMP resources pushed to do more to secure our borders. Canadians expect to rely on a modern, focused, highly specialized policing function in a rapidly changing world.

After reflecting on the challenges and evolution required, the Government is setting out a new vision to support an effective approach to policing for Canadians.

The need to evolve Canada’s approach to policing

Twenty First Century threats, such as terrorism, foreign interference, organized crime and violent extremism, have emerged, are intertwining, and take new skills and strategies to detect (such as the criminal use of deepfakes). The threats are persistent (and in many cases increasing), evolving based on technological, geopolitical, and societal trends, and increasingly complex, involving multiple threat actors (state and non-state) working across jurisdictional and sovereign boundaries. The widening gap between the technological capabilities of threat actors and the countermeasures available to law enforcement – at all levels of government - are critical factors that contribute to the shifting nature of the threat environment. Closing this gap is critical to address the most serious threats to Canada.

The message here is clear: static structures and resourcing models common to law enforcement across the country are not equipped for complex, evolving and transboundary nature of today’s threats. While efforts have begun to make law enforcement more flexible and resilient, municipal, provincial and federal governments need to continue to challenge traditional ways. We need to think differently from a past dominated by information silos, poor resourcing and ad hoc arrangements. All levels of government need to take ownership if we are to collectively meet the new threats facing Canada.

A strong example of the need for change is reflected in the impact of our recent effort to bring all levels of government together to address border security, and the fentanyl crisis in particular. The overdose crisis in Canada, driven by fentanyl and the rise of synthetic opioids, has claimed at least 50,000 Canadian lives since 2016^{Footnote 2}. In recent years, this threat has shifted from one of importation to one of domestic production, fueled by importation of precursor materials; at least 44 clandestine fentanyl production labs were dismantled by Canadian law enforcement between 2018 and 2024.^{Footnote 3} This threat is driven by organized crime in Canada; the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada estimates that in 2024 there were over 4,000 organized crime groups operating in Canada.^{Footnote 4} It is also powered by organized crime abroad: global crime groups taking advantage of any weaknesses in border and money laundering controls in Canada and worldwide.

The incredibly complex and trans-boundary nature of threats means we can no longer afford to look at serious crime in isolation. This convergence of actors and methods holds for other threats facing Canada namely foreign interference, cyber crime and violent extremism.

The Federal role in policing

For over 150 years, the RCMP has served as a cornerstone of this nation’s history, protecting Canada’s interests, maintaining law and order, and serving remote and rural communities. Its role has evolved considerably over time. Originally established as the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873, its mandate expanded to support broader law and order objectives in the western territories, and eventually the Yukon and Arctic. In 1904, King Edward VII awarded the title of “Royal”, recognizing 30 years of policing. In 1920, the Royal NWMP merged with the Dominion Police, which was responsible for police in eastern Canada, creating a unified federal police force for Canada.^{Footnote 5} Today, RCMP detachments stand as a proud symbol of Canada in communities right across the country.

As set out in the Constitution Act, 1867, policing is a shared responsibility in Canada. The federal government has the legislative authority over criminal law, except for the administration of justice, which is a provincial matter. Under federal authority, the Criminal Code is a key federal statute which contains the general criminal law offences, as well as a broad range of law enforcement tools and criminal law procedures for enforcement and prosecution. Provinces administer justice through their own legislation governing municipal policing and, in the cases of Ontario and Quebec, by creating provincial police forces. The RCMP’s role within this environment is unique as it serves all levels of government as it carries out its duties.

The current RCMP Act (1985), which governs the organization and its operations, has been amended several times to reflect evolving needs. The Act establishes the RCMP as “the police force for Canada”, enabling it to operate domestically and internationally, and sets out the duties and functions, including traditional policing functions as well as others that may be assigned through regulation. Within its statutory framework, the RCMP has organized itself around three main functions: federal policing, specialized policing and contract policing – which work together in an interrelated way.

The RCMP’s federal policing function addresses the most serious and complex criminal threats to the safety and security of Canadians and Canadian interests, through prevention, detection, and investigative activities. It also enforces over 250 federal statutes, conducts international policing activities, and upholds Canada’s border integrity and the security of significant government-led events, designated officials, and dignitaries. Its responsibilities include addressing national security threats, cybercrime, and organized crime, as well as providing protective services to VIPs, witness protection, and policing Canada’s borders. It operates across all provinces and territories and internationally. It is the primary enforcement agency for national security-related criminal investigations, including espionage, foreign interference, terrorism, and subversion.

To support policing work within the RCMP and to all Canadian law enforcement agencies, the RCMP provides specialized and technical services, including advanced training for law enforcement, national criminal data repositories, firearms regulation and licensing and investigative tools and services, including forensics, identification, firearms programs and fighting child exploitation. It also provides technical services to advance RCMP’s operations and investigations, such as the collection of digital evidence and cybercrime intelligence, the delivery of policing information technology tools, and the implementation of departmental and personnel security standards.

Contract Policing is provided through Police Services Agreements (PSAs) which are negotiated between the federal government and provinces, territories and municipalities (the current Agreements expire on March 31, 2032). PSAs outline the duties and responsibilities of the RCMP in financial, operational and administrative areas within the provisions of the provincial and municipal policing services. Provinces and municipalities establish the level of resources, budget and policing priorities in consultation with the RCMP, and the RCMP is responsible for delivering on the policing priorities within the established budget. PSAs are based on cost share with provinces and territories paying 70 percent of RCMP costs and the federal government paying the remainder. PSAs exist with all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec. Municipal agreements are based on a number of different cost sharing formulas, which are dependent on population size, and when a municipality first signed its policing agreement with the RCMP.

Challenges facing policing

Policing communities and policing serious and transnational crime requires a division of responsibilities to ensure law enforcement agencies have the requisite focus and specialization. Nearly two-thirds of RCMP resources ($2.7 billion per year and 18,500 staff)^{Footnote 6} are dedicated to fulfilling contract policing obligations, under Police Service Agreements (PSAs). The PSAs represent twenty year contractual obligations between the federal government and all Provinces and Territories, with the exception of Ontario and Quebec, as well as over 150 municipalities. As noted in the 2023 study by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a committee with representation from all parties^{Footnote 7}, imputed subsidies and unattributed costs of the contract, beyond those set out in the PSAs are significant and rising (estimated now at $800M per year)^{Footnote 8}. The PSAs also require the RCMP to take direction from Provincial and Territorial Ministers on their priorities, which can blur accountabilities and prioritization.

Some Provinces have expressed a desire to have more local influence of the RCMP policing services they receive to better meet the needs of their unique and diverse communities.^{Footnote 9} Rising costs, high attrition and growing vacancies create structural staffing shortages and challenges for all parties, while the federal government retains liability for these services. In an environment with finite resources, this structure has a direct effect on RCMP capacities in other areas – including sustained attention to the most serious federal crimes. A division of responsibilities is needed so that community policing and policing of serious and organized crime both benefit from specialized and focus attention.

Recent third-party reports on policing in Canada note the above concerns, specifically the breadth of the RCMP mandate and its ability to balance its contract policing obligations with its Federal policing remit. The RCMP’s Federal Policing program has achieved notable successes in recent years, including dismantling major drug and human trafficking networks, neutralizing cyber threats, as well as notable counter terrorism arrests and border-related apprehensions. However, concerns have been noted with Canada’s capacity to meet the new threat environment by a long list of inquiries, internal reports and independent studies, most notably, the aforementioned NSICOP and the RCMP’s Management Advisory Board Report, 2023.^{Footnote 10} These concerns persist despite recent internal efforts to improve governance, reporting and priority management.

Contract policing needs also dominate the RCMP’s approach to recruitment and training. Nearly all recruitment activity is dedicated to the requirements of producing front line police officers, which is critical for local policing needs, but which has also impacted federal policing capacity. The NSICOP notes that only six of 823 hours (i.e.: less than one per cent) of training at the RCMP’s training academy (known as Depot) is accorded to RCMP’s federal policing mandate.^{Footnote 11} Specialized training in technical disciplines, such as cyber, foreign languages, forensic accounting, does not occur in the early years of training or recruitment of future RCMP officers, and the absence of a dedicated career path for federal policing presents additional challenges relative to the private sector and other federal national security partners. These issues need to be addressed.

As noted, the RCMP Act does not define the federal policing function – that role needs to be inferred through a review of other legal authorities as well as the RCMP’s internal programs. Nor does the Act articulate a prioritization among the 250 federal statues it is tasked to uphold. Organizational and operational structures within the RCMP reinforces the prevalence of contract policing, compromising pursuit of federal priorities. The Mass Casualty Commission highlighted the need to “establish clear priorities for the RCMP, retaining the tasks that are suitable to a federal policing agency, and identifying what responsibilities are better reassigned to other agencies.”^{Footnote 12}

It is time to modernize policing in Canada to ensure we have the capacity and focus to address the most serious forms of criminality. This is an ambitious undertaking, but we are convinced of the dedication and professionalism in the RCMP and public service to deliver.

A new vision of policing for Canada

To make Canadians safer and protect our national security, there is a need to transform how policing is delivered in Canada. Experienced police officers need to work alongside technical and subject matter experts to effectively tackle challenges of the future, including transnational organized crime, financial crime, border integrity, cybercrime and national security.

The Government’s vision should be to establish the RCMP as a world class, intelligence-led, federal policing organization that is anchored on the work of highly skilled investigators and multi-disciplinary teams, and focused on the most serious crimes affecting Canadians.

Priorities in bringing about this vision should be as follows:

First, the RCMP should be asked to focus on its primary mandate of addressing the most serious crimes affecting Canada. This will include clear direction on the structure and mandate of Canada’s federal police force, along with the necessary legislation, authorities, reporting mechanisms and resources to enable the RCMP to be agile, adaptable and future-ready to protect Canada, Canadians and Canadian interests against the greatest domestic and international criminal threats. Focus of the RCMP should be on a federal remit reflecting its essential mandate and where it is best placed to lead investigations. This would include criminal activity that: transcends a specific provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada or originates outside of Canada, exceeds the capacity or capabilities of another jurisdiction in Canada, relates to national security, or is of national significance. Such an approach reflects where the federal government should prioritize its policing efforts, while respecting important constitutional divisions of responsibility.

Second, a new approach to managing RCMP talent should be established that prioritizes recruitment of specialized skills and prepares individuals to become “federal investigators” charged with leading complex and often transboundary, tech-enabled federal crimes. This new approach, would be supported by new staffing authorities to ensure the RCMP can compete effectively for talent. A dedicated federal recruitment system, with a view to a new Federal Policing Training Academy, would focus exclusively on the RCMP’s federal policing needs. The Academy would be led and managed by the RCMP in close collaboration with key partners, such as academic experts, leading international practitioners, and forward-leaning and development partners to ensure continual evolution of curriculum and training.

Third, all levels of policing in Canada need to be adequately resourced to take on the 21st Century threat environment. To this end, further investments are needed in the RCMP’s federal policing capacity. Other levels of government need to consider similar increases. To ensure focus on investigating major national crimes, the Government should insulate and demarcate contract and federal policing budgets. This would provide financial transparency between business lines as well as for those jurisdictions that receive contract policing services, reduce “leakage” of internal resources to support the contracts, and ensure that future police service agreements reflect the full costs of policing. To achieve this, new budgeting and reporting requirements will be established, including a new approach to Parliamentary appropriations.

Finally, Canada’s role in supporting provinces in their delivery of policing services must evolve. The federal government should be committed to working closely with Provinces to support a transition away from contract policing, while maintaining strong interoperability with federal policing. The expiration of current Police Services Agreements in 2032 presents the first opportunity for implementing this next phase of policing in Canada. The work to define provincial needs and solutions should begin now. The Provinces have the needed expertise and knowledge of their jurisdictions and community safety needs – and should be on a path to fully exercise their responsibilities over policing. They are best placed to define their own policing models, including interactions with the social services and programs that they deliver, with a view to better outcomes and service delivery for communities. These are complex and challenging processes. Ultimately federal resources should focus on delivering the federal mandate to significantly enhance RCMP capacity to address federal challenges.

Canada should also collaborate with Territorial leaders and Indigenous partners to define a new policing model to support fair access to adequate and effective policing services that reflect their unique needs and circumstances. It is essential to recognize that RCMP history in providing support to communities has not been universally positive, particularly for Indigenous communities. In 2024, the Auditor General made recommendations to ensure equitable funding, effective partnerships with Indigenous communities, improved service delivery, along with other measures to enhance policing in First Nations and Inuit communities. Canada remains dedicated to investing in First Nations Policing, ensuring that these efforts are responsive to, and reflective of, the unique needs and priorities of the communities they serve.

We can already see the results of tighter cross-jurisdictional relations, information sharing, joint operations and strategic investments with regard to, for example, ongoing work to secure the border and address the fentanyl crisis. Ultimately bridging the gap between threats facing Canada and criminals’ capability will require not just federal government leadership and investment, but achieving genuine collective responsibility with all levels of government and their law enforcement agencies.

The changes put forward as outlined above stem from years of independent reviews of the RCMP, aiming to build a stronger federal policing model that meets the unique threats Canada faces today. While these changes will take time, they represent a bold vision not seen since the 1981 McDonald Commission’s report, which led to the creation of Canada’s civilian intelligence agency.^{Footnote 13}

By embracing the vision for Canadian policing, we are paving the way for a brighter, safer future for all Canadians, ensuring that our policing is resilient, inclusive, and equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Date modified:

2025-03-10