PM expresses hope for change
Trudeau tells national force to hold to plans for improvement
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the150th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Tuesday by acknowledging mistakes the force has made in the past, and expressing hope for change.
The RCMP has planned events Tuesday and throughout the year that the national police force says are meant to demonstrate pride, but also humility and efforts at reconciliation.
In a statement, the prime minister encouraged Canadians to take part in those events, calling the RCMP one of the most respected police organizations in the world.
But he also urged the RCMP to hold to its plans for improvement and change.
“As we mark this milestone anniversary, we acknowledge that while the errors of the past cannot be forgotten, they can be learned from,” Trudeau said in the statement Tuesday.
“The RCMP will continue to support healing and reconciliation, as it continues to keep our communities safe now and into the future.”
In a statement, the force says it plans to use the sesquicentennial to share the RCMP’s efforts to create a more modern organization that engages in authentic reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and ensures the safety of all Canadians.
It also highlights its strategic plan for 2023 to “address issues of trust,” though the plan doesn’t go into specifics.
Inquiries and commissions over the decades have made suggestions to reform the police service.
RCMP officers played major roles in Canada’s history, attempting to maintain order during the Klondike Gold Rush and serving as Canada’s main intelligence agency during the Cold War.
But it has also played darker roles in the past century-and-a-half, including repressing Indigenous uprisings and acting as “truant officers” to enforce attendance at residential schools.
Its mandate now sees Mounties take on national and rural policing to varying degrees across Canada — a model that has garnered criticism for leaving remote communities underserved.
The RCMP’s plan includes recruiting people of diverse backgrounds and addressing systemic racism, being more transparent about serious events and improving reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples.
Thundering horseback performances of the RCMP Musical Ride, barbecues and community events across the country are also on the agenda.