Provinces say Ottawa is leaving them in the dark about RCMP's future

Frustration is mounting in provincial and territorial governments that rely on the RCMP's services as they wait for Ottawa to come up with a plan for the belea‐ guered national police ser‐ vice.

Outside of Ontario and Quebec, the RCMP provides front-line policing services through contract agreements with the provinces and terri‐ tories. Under those agree‐ ments, which expire in 2032, provinces and territories pay 70 per cent of the cost of the RCMP's services and the fed‐ eral government covers the rest.

But a growing number of voices are calling for rootand-branch changes to the way the RCMP operates.

Almost exactly a year ago, the inquiry into the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history criticized the RCMP's response to the crisis on almost every level and recommended an indepth, external and indepen‐ dent review of the RCMP.

The Mass Casualty Com‐ mission's report said that re‐ view should "specifically ex‐ amine the RCMP's approach to contract policing and work with contract partners, and also its approach to commu‐ nity relations."

A few months after that report landed, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentari‐ ans (NSICOP), one of Canada's intelligence watch‐ dogs, reported that the RCM‐ P's federal policing responsi‐ bilities are being hindered by resource issues - including the force's focus on bootson-the-ground contract polic‐ ing.

The RCMP's federal polic‐ ing responsibilities include fi‐ nancial crime, organized crime, international investi‐ gations and threats to na‐ tional security.

"We're certainly calling on the federal government to examine the relationship be‐ tween contract policing and federal policing inside the or‐ ganization," said NSICOP's chair, Liberal MP David McGuinty.

While the federal govern‐ ment has said it is assessing the RCMP's contracts with provinces and territories, there have been rumours suggesting Ottawa is open to changing the RCMP's man‐ date so that it concentrates entirely on federal policing making the RCMP more like the FBI.

The lack of clarity is caus‐ ing some anxiety among the provinces and territories, said Saskatchewan's Public Safety Minister Paul Merri‐ man.

"Just tell us which way you're going to go," he said.

"We want to see a plan … We want to know with some certainty what is happening for the future of policing in Canada. The federal govern‐ ment has not given any direc‐ tion."

B.C. seeking an answer 'as soon as possible'

Other provincial governmen‐ ts contacted by CBC shared those views.

A spokesperson for New Brunswick's Public Safety Minister Kris Austin said the province is waiting to see how the federal government responds to the Mass Casu‐ alty Commission.

"In the meantime, Minis‐ ter Austin has joined his provincial and territorial counterparts in urging the Government of Canada to bring clarity to the question of the future of contract policing," said the spokesper‐ son.

"The top priority is the safety of both our police offi‐ cers and communities."

In a statement sent to CBC News, B.C.'s Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said it continues "to seek direction from the fed‐ eral government on the fu‐ ture of contract policing, as it will impact how policing is delivered and paid for in our communities.

"The province and local government in B.C. require the federal government to communicate its plans on the future of contract policing as soon as possible so that all parties have enough plan‐ ning and implementation time to fully engage in nego‐ tiations.

"Any changes to the ex‐ isting agreement could have wide-ranging implications for local governments and the Province on RCMP service de‐ livery or cost."

Merriman said that while 2032 feels far away, the provinces need to know soon if they have to build their own provincial police forces and fund them fully.

"I would think that time has come," he said,

"There would be legisla‐ tive requirements on both federal and provincial [gov‐ ernments], there would be a lot of background work that would have to happen before that. And I think the rank and file of the RCMP, they would like to know."

Earlier this month, the Al‐ berta government an‐ nounced legislation to lay the groundwork for a new provincial police agency made up of sheriffs.

Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said that while the new service is not meant to replace the RCMP, the province is building out the service in case the RCMP stops providing local policing when the current contract ex‐ pires in 2032.

"The RCMP just do not have enough human beings to police Canada, regardless of the amount of money that we give them," Ellis told a re‐ cent news conference. "That's a challenge, I get that. But I can't wait for them to just continue to try to figure stuff out."

Merriman said Saskatchewan is in favour of keeping the RCMP - if that's still on the table.

"The RCMP has a good reputation in our rural com‐ munities. We want to keep them there," he said.

"But the decision isn't ours to keep them there. That's with the federal gov‐ ernment."

Contract policing 'crowding out' other needs: briefing

The concern being felt in provincial and territorial capi‐ tals shouldn't come as a sur‐ prise to Public Safety Minis‐ ter Dominic LeBlanc.

According to internal doc‐ uments, LeBlanc was briefed by department officials about the "future of policing" and the RCMP in November 2023.

The documents, obtained through an access to infor‐ mation request, show the minister was warned the provinces and territories were concerned about "the uncertainty of the future fed‐ eral role in policing."

One of the briefing docu‐ ments says the minister was warned that "insufficient fed‐ eral investment commensu‐ rate with increased mandate and delivery requirements" and "contract policing re‐ quirements [are] crowding out funding and delivery in other mandate areas."

"The federal role in polic‐ ing has remained largely un‐ changed since the introduc‐ tion of Contract Policing in 1928 despite multiple re‐ views recommending trans‐ formation of Canada's na‐ tional policing service," says the briefing document.

"Increased costs of polic‐ ing, the rise of social disorder in a post-pandemic environ‐ ment, and increasing com‐ plexity of threats to Canada's security are also important drivers for calls to create a new vision for policing in Canada that respects jurisdic‐ tional responsibility and is re‐ sponsive."

The briefing documents are heavily redacted, so it's not clear what LeBlanc's de‐ partment thinks a "new vi‐ sion for policing" should look like.

LeBlanc's office did not re‐ spond to CBC's request for comment.

RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme will provide an update this morning on the national police force's re‐ sponse to the Mass Casualty Commission's recommenda‐ tions.