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National Post

RCMP union pushes for change to help force attract talent from U.S., other countries

Article content That excludes a large pool of well-trained public safety personnel, including members of the Canada Border Services Agency, provincial sheriffs, conservation officers and other law enforcement agents who may not meet the threshold, the report says. Article content Forcing these candidates to repeat a full 26-week training program at the RCMP training depot 'creates a barrier to recruitment and results in missed opportunities to bring skilled, experienced candidates into the RCMP,' the report adds. Article content It also says the federal procurement process is too slow and unresponsive to the urgent needs of modern policing, and drains valuable government resources. Article content 'Delays in rolling out life-saving equipment, including service pistols, body armour and body-worn cameras, threaten both officer safety and public trust,' the report says. Article content During the spring election campaign, the Liberals promised to recruit 1,000 more RCMP personnel to tackle drug and human trafficking, foreign interference, cybercrime and car thefts by organized crime. Article content The Liberals also pledged to create a new RCMP academy in Regina and increase pay for cadet recruits. Article content Watson acknowledged the promise to hire more Mounties and said Public Safety recognizes the importance of cadet pay in broader efforts to support recruitment and retention. Article content The RCMP did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. Article content The police force has been told to trim two per cent of its budget as part of a governmentwide cost-cutting exercise. Sauve said he is 'cautiously optimistic' the Liberal government will follow through on its commitment to strengthen law enforcement, set out in a May mandate letter. Article content The RCMP provides policing services through contracts with all provinces and territories, except Ontario and Quebec. RCMP policing agreements cover much of rural Canada, all of the North and many towns and municipalities in contract provinces. The police federation acknowledges that some continue to ask whether the RCMP should shed its contract policing role across Canada and become more like the FBI by focusing on federal criminal matters. Article content Article content In March, before Mark Carney became prime minister, the Liberals published a paper outlining a new vision for the RCMP. It suggested the force concentrate on federal policing, reflecting its 'essential mandate and where it is best placed to lead investigations.' Article content The federation flatly rejects the idea Article content 'The RCMP's integrated pan-Canadian policing model remains one of its greatest strengths, due to its ability to leverage co-ordination, consistency and efficiency across all jurisdictions,' the June report says. Article content It argues that moving away from the current model 'would create deep service gaps, duplication and costly public safety and economic inefficiencies with no evidence of better results.' Article content The federation calls for dedicated funding for federal policing, saying RCMP officers carrying out those duties must no longer be used to backstop vacancies in contract jurisdictions. Article content 'Federal assets should be used solely for federal mandates,' the report says. 'If federal members are redeployed for non-federal purposes, those services must be cost-recovered from contract partners.' Article content