Ottawa eyeing ‘more responsive’ police service models under RCMP contract

The Liberal government is looking for ways to improve policing services provided under contract by the RCMP across Canada — eyeing everything from overall cost and sustainability to stronger oversight and accountability.

Among the possibilities are “more responsive” police service models that could involve closer integration of the RCMP and community social services, say internal Public Safety Canada notes.

The notes, obtained through the Access to Information Act, are a discussion guide for wide-ranging consultations on options to strengthen the RCMP’s contract policing.

The RCMP provides front-line policing services through contracts with all provinces and territories, except Ontario and Quebec, as well as some 150 municipalities. Current agreements don’t expire until March 31, 2032.

Provinces and territories pay 70 per cent of RCMP costs and the federal government covers the remainder. Municipal agreements vary, sometimes depending on population size.

“What principles should guide future discussions around how and which costs are shared between contract jurisdictions and the federal government?” asks one of the discussion guide questions.

“How could the contract policing program evolve to better meet the needs of the communities it serves?”

Public Safety said the department, in collaboration with the RCMP, held in-person meetings from spring to fall 2023 of last year with officials from provinces and territories that participate in the contract policing program.

In addition, there were virtual sessions with municipal partners and other interested parties, such as the RCMP management advisory board, the Canadian Association of Police Governance, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the National Police Federation, which