OTTAWA - The union representing front-line members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is urging the force to relax its requirements for foreign applicants. This change aims to attract experienced police officers from agencies such as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as counterparts in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Currently, the RCMP mandates that applicants must be Canadian citizens or hold permanent resident status in Canada. Those with permanent resident status must have lived in Canada for at least three of the last five years. The National Police Federation suggests that the RCMP should adopt a policy similar to that of the Canadian Armed Forces, which in 2022 opened applications to permanent residents without any time requirement in Canada.

Brian Sauvé, president of the federation, expressed confidence in the potential for attracting skilled officers through this approach. "If this government has identified public safety, border security and all that stuff as an imperative, we can do the same thing, right?" he said in a recent interview. He emphasized that the RCMP has the capability to provide equivalency training for foreign officers, stating, "You can come from Manchester, you can come from New South Wales, you can come from, I don’t know, the FBI. And we’ll train you to be equivalent, to give you a job and put you in a role."

This proposal is part of a broader set of recommendations presented by the police federation in a June report aimed at enhancing the RCMP's recruitment practices, funding model, training programs, and procurement processes. The federation noted that independent reports over the past two decades have provided the federal government with clear guidance on improving RCMP operations. However, the June report criticized the government for its lack of action, stating, "Yet time and again, these recommendations have been met with inaction or insufficient follow-through. As a result, long-standing issues persisted and were allowed to worsen."

Max Watson, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada, affirmed the department's commitment to collaborating with the RCMP to ensure the force is equipped to meet evolving public safety needs. The federation is advocating for a streamlined and modernized application processing system, increased training capacity, and a rise in the cadet training allowance from the current $525 per week to approximately $1,200.

Additionally, the federation seeks more flexibility for new recruits from other law enforcement agencies. Currently, only serving or recently inactive police officers can apply through the RCMP's three-week experienced police officer program, which excludes many qualified candidates, including members of the Canada Border Services Agency and provincial sheriffs. The report argues that requiring these candidates to undergo a full 26-week training program at the RCMP training depot creates barriers to recruitment and results in missed opportunities to bring skilled personnel into the force.

The report also highlights issues with the federal procurement process, describing it as slow and unresponsive to the urgent needs of modern policing. "Delays in rolling out life-saving equipment, including service pistols, body armor, and body-worn cameras, threaten both officer safety and public trust," it states.

During the recent spring election campaign, the Liberal government pledged to recruit 1,000 additional RCMP personnel to combat drug and human trafficking, foreign interference, cybercrime, and organized crime-related car thefts. They also promised to establish a new RCMP academy in Regina and increase pay for cadet recruits. Watson acknowledged the commitment to hire more officers and recognized the importance of cadet pay in supporting recruitment and retention efforts.

The RCMP has been instructed to reduce its budget by two percent as part of a government-wide cost-cutting initiative. Sauvé expressed cautious optimism that the Liberal government will fulfill its commitment to strengthen law enforcement, as outlined in a May mandate letter.

The RCMP provides policing services through contracts with all provinces and territories, except Ontario and Quebec, covering much of rural Canada and the North. The police federation has raised questions about whether the RCMP should shift away from its contract policing role and focus more on federal criminal matters. In March, prior to Mark Carney becoming prime minister, the Liberals released a paper suggesting the RCMP concentrate on federal policing, reflecting its essential mandate.

The federation strongly opposes this idea, arguing that the RCMP's integrated pan-Canadian policing model is a significant strength. The June report states, "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."

The federation is also calling for dedicated funding for federal policing, asserting that RCMP officers assigned to federal duties should not be used to fill vacancies in contract jurisdictions. "Federal assets should be used solely for federal mandates," the report concludes.