Cost to taxpayers of protecting members of Parliament hits a record high

The cost of keeping Canada's members of Parliament safe has hit a record high, CBC News has learned.

During the first nine months of this fiscal year, the RCMP spent $2.5 million on security for MPs. If spending continues at the same pace, the cost of MPs' security for this fiscal year could hit $3.4 million — almost double what it cost a year earlier.

Over fiscal 2022/23, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) spent $1.8 million to protect MPs, up from $1.3 million the year before.

The figures obtained from the RCMP do not include the cost of protecting the prime minister. They also don't include spending by other bodies that also provide protection for Canada's 338 members of Parliament, such as local police services, the Parliamentary Protective Service and the House of Commons.

The House of Commons has also taken steps to increase security for MPs but has not said how much it has cost.

While the cost of protecting MPs has been rising, it's still a fraction of the more than $30 million a year it has cost to protect Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family over the previous two fiscal years.

Former public safety minister Marco Mendicino said the rising price tag reflects a change in the «threat environment» since the pandemic and the Ottawa convoy protest.

«There's no doubt in my mind that the threat environment has escalated over the last couple of years,» he told CBC News. «I think there are a number of reasons for that, one of which is the pervasiveness of disinformation and propaganda online.

»And that has had a real impact when it comes to how people behave, how they mobilize. And so we are seeing threats go up, not only as it relates to ministers, but equally to parliamentarians and, quite frankly, to anyone who