Trudeau pushes for RCMP reform during final days in office

During his final days in office, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing for long-promised reform to the RCMP. 

A government report released Monday, which highlights concerns about Canada's capacity to meet "the new threat environment," says it's time to modernize the police service to focus on "the most serious forms of criminality."

It says the government’s vision should be to establish the RCMP as a "world class, intelligence-led, federal policing organization."

In an interview, Trudeau told CBC News that the RCMP is "strained" and that he has been "trying to do this since the very beginning."

The report, published on the Public Safety Canada website, made four key recommendations including asking the RCMP to focus on the most serious crimes affecting Canada, like those that transcend a specific provincial or territorial jurisdiction or relate to national security.

It also said Canada should work with territorial leaders and Indigenous partners to "define a new policing model."

"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 report said. 

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said in a statement on Monday that he agrees there is a need for significant change, but noted funding for the force hasn't kept pace with what's needed to tackle today's criminal landscape.

"While the RCMP was not consulted in the development of this particular document, changes need to be made to ensure the sustainability of federal policing and to position the RCMP to properly address the highest levels of crime," Duheme said, adding the force presented its own transformation plan to Public Safety Canada several months ago.

"I have shared my views with the outgoing Prime Minister and other senior-level officials in Ottawa about this path forward, and I will continue to advocate for our members and employees and the exceptional policing services we provide."

There have been calls to reform the RCMP for years.

In 2018, the Trudeau government directed former RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki to modernize and reform the RCMP's culture, protect employees from harassment and workplace violence and foster reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. 

The Liberals' 2021 platform promised RCMP reform, stating the importance of ensuring "stronger external oversight and bringing about cultural change to eliminate harassment within its own ranks."

Following a 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia that claimed 22 lives, a public inquiry formally known as the Mass Casualty Commission found widespread failures in how the RCMP responded. It issued 130 non-binding recommendations to improve public safety, a majority of which apply in some form to the Mounties.

And in 2023, a review from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians said that federal policing was not as "effective, efficient, flexible or accountable as it needs to be to protect Canada and Canadians from the most significant national security and criminal threats."

Duheme said the RCMP has heard calls from stakeholders about the need to enhance accountability as well as "bolster the responsiveness" of service delivery.

"I firmly believe that we are best positioned to face these challenges as one organization, with federal, provincial, territorial, Indigenous, municipal, and specialized policing mandates," he said in Monday's statement.

"There are countless benefits to the RCMP's strong relationships with partners in every corner of the country, as well as the vast organizational knowledge and specialized skills our employees can draw on when serving communities."

The new report further said the RCMP should prioritize the recruitment of specialized skills and prepare people to become "federal investigators" and that investments are needed in the RCMP’s federal policing capacity, with other levels of government needing to consider "similar increases."

It said the government should separate contract and federal policing budgets and work closely with provinces to support "a transition away from contract policing."

The report said the expiration of current police services agreements in 2032 presents the "first opportunity for implementing this next phase of policing in Canada" and that work to define provincial needs and solutions should start now.